Mid-Range Joy: Sony announces new middle of the road 3D HDTV choices

We all love a good deal, but some like their prices squarely in the middle. Not too expensive, but not the bottom of the line either. Sony is happy to oblige apparently, as they have announced new 3D HDTV choices that should be more wallet pleasing. Read onward:

Sony’s finally taken the wraps off its latest televisions for the US market, carrying the NX810 model number. Available in 60-, 55- and 46-inch sizes next month, these give a 3D spec bump (and around a $200 premium on the MSRP) to the existing NX800 series of Edge LED lit HDTVs that came out earlier this year. Like the NX800, these feature a slick monolith design, built-in WiFi, widgets and an ambient light sensor to automatically adjust the picture in changing room conditions, but other than the 3D-readiness (and coupons for free Blu-ray 3D movies and PSN games, though it looks like you’ll have to pay for the glasses on your own) it’s hard to find any differences on paper.

Good stuff, lower prices are something we can always agree on.

Panny’s New Move: New line of HDTVs with 2D-3D conversion

It seems 3D, in some form or another, is here to stay. And Panasonic is advancing the technology with the first line of HDTV products with 2D to 3D conversion included. Not cheap, but here’s the quick rundown from Engadget:

If you thought you could crawl in a corner and wait for this 3D onslaught to pass, you may be camped out for some time to come. Panasonic is following up on its CES introductions with a new pair of 3D plasmas for the gaming set, the Viera 3D GT25 range. Said series is debuting with a pair to choose from, the 50-inch TC-P50GT25 and the 42-inch TC-P42G25. The latter is Panny’s first-ever 42-inch Full HD 3D plasma, and as you’d expect, both of these guys will require active shutter glasses in order to operate. As for specs? You’re looking at a 1080p panel, 600Hz sub-field drive, 24p playback and (a company first) 2D-to-3D conversion that may or may not be the answer to all of life’s problems.

We like the approach, even if Sony and several other companies are planning similar products. Prices will start around the $1,700 USD mark or so.

Saturday HDTV Super Deals

It’s Saturday, and that means (for most anyway) a day off from work filled with fun, sun and joy, and here anyhow great deals on HDTV models. Feel free to gander:

Dell occasionally has some great prices on top models. For example, this Sony BRAVIA KDL-46EX700 46″ LED Backlit 1080p 120Hz HDTV – price: $1045 with free shipping too. Good stuff – now tell us we aren’t looking out for you!

OneCall.com is a reputable online shop with some nice deals at times. The LG 37LH55 37” 240Hz 1080p LCD HDTV for $789.77 with free shipping too. Good technology and the perfect size for a bedroom or study.

Thanks for reading and have fun!

Wednesday’s Wacky HDTV Deals

Once again we present some of the finest HDTV offers anywhere on the web:

Buy.com – How about a solid Philips 47PFL6704D 47” 1080p LCD HDTV 240hz  for $999.00 with free shipping as well. Now that’s a few hundred less than even a few months ago. Check it out!

Sony has a Sony KDL-32EX308 BRAVIA 32″ Internet-ready 720p LCD HDTV for $432 with free shipping as well. Great deal! You can look at lots of net enabled functions like Netflix, etc pretty easily and makes this a heck of an entertainment device.

Thanks for joining us and see you all later!

Bundle Action: LG getting in on the 3D package act

We reported about Sony offering their 3D bundles recently, now according to recent reports LG is getting in on the bundle action as well with their upcoming release.

Announced just today, the “1-2-3D” bundle (as its referred to) applies to all who purchase a LX9500 or LX6500 series Infinia LCD TV and LG Blu-ray 3D unit, and includes two pairs of glasses in the package as well, PLUS an instant $100 rebate and coupon for the IMAX Under the Sea 3D Blu-ray 3D disc to come with the package to round it out. It’s still not cheap, but a lot cheaper than all of these individually.

The bundle pricing is pretty much equivalent to Samsung’s package bundle, so it really comes down to which 3DTV or player you prefer, or even as basic as a question as comparing getting Monsters vs. Aliens or this IMAX film, whichever way your preferences swing.

Rarity of Value: Sony offering limited time 3D HDTV bundles

Sony has a rep for not offering the best values in town, but that rep may be changing with their latest announcement, designed to draw people into their 3D-riffic world. Here’s the details from Engadget:

In a rare move, Sony has deviated from their pricey reputation to offer two special 3D bundle promotions until July 17th (or while supplies still last) with the clear intention of enticing wavering adopters to veer whole-hog into 3D. The options boil down to either a 46-inch or 54.6-inch Bravia HX8000 for $270 / $340 off their retail prices, respectively, and as a bonus, buyers will receive a variety of 3D accessories valued at $899 for free. Rolled into that $899 goody basket are two sets of 3D TDG-BR100 active glasses, the TMR-BR100 3D sync transmitter, two 3D Blu-ray movies (“Cloudy With a Chance of Meatballs” and “IMAX Deep Sea 3D), four 3D PS3 games (two full games, two demos), and the BDV-E570 3D Blu-ray compatible 5.1 home theater in-a-box.

The offer will save you up to $1,200, which is savings worth shouting about, indeed. While not cheap, these are still pretty good packages if you’re a Sony lover.

More Stuff: Sony HD and FearNET coming soon?

We always like hearing reports of more content, and that’s exactly what’s coming, if rumors are to be believed. It seems Sony is hitting a higher gear with their (possible) upcoming HD movie channel additions.

The L.A. Times reports that Sony is planning to launch two new channels later this year. The first is FEARNet, currently existing as a video on-demand only content provider that it hopes to get with more cable boxes by adding a regular full-time channel, and the other would be a brand new Sony Pictures Movies HD venture, with details still a little thin at the moment.

So far Sony Pictures has not bothered to get its own movie network in the US but it does have a few channels across the ocean in various parts of Europe, and this would be a high definition channel along the lines and spirit of MGM HD, hopefully with higher quality movies than that channel features. Time will tell exactly how this all plays out.

Monday’s Marvelous HDTV Deals

It’s Monday, and its time for yet another installment of great HDTV deals. Check them out below:

Walmart – Here’s one of the better deals we’ve seen: The Vizio 37″ VO370M Eco LCD HDTV 1080p for $479 – and that includes free shipping too. First class deal, so feel free to check it out.

6ave.com – On the other side of the price spectrum, here’s a Sony KDL60EX700 60” LED Backlit HDTV & BDV-E570 3D Blu-ray Home Theater System package bundle – for $3247.00 and free shipping. Great offer and quite a bit off the suggested retail price.

Feel free to check them out and have a great day!

Monday’s Mad HDTV Deals

Here once again is our long-awaited HDTV deals segment, for your reading (and hopefully savings) pleasure. Read on:

Sony – How about a super-sharp Sony BRAVIA KDL-40EX600 1080p 40″ LED HDTV for $1080 – $210 off in cart price due to our offer = $990 with free shipping as well. Tough to beat that for a well-reviewed unit suitable for any room in the house. 7 HDMI ports, yes!

6ave.com – Here’s a very nice bundle package: the Panasonic TC-42PX14 42” 720p Plasma HDTV And DMP-BD60 Blu-ray Player, sold together in a great package for $698.00 with free shipping too. One of the better deals we’ve seen anywhere!

There you go, and feel free to check out those offers.

Roll Your Own: Sony releases 3D Blu-Ray mastering software

So you always wanted to make your own 3D BR discs, eh, with full 3D menus and everything? Use the same software the big boys use? We’ll, needless to say it won’t be cheap, but Sony has been gracious enough to release the 3D Blu-Ray mastering software and make it available to the public, sorta anyway. Read on to hear more:

Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs on Blu-ray 3D doesn’t make its retail debut until next week, but you can get a taste of the tools used to make it right now, as Sony has announced the availability of its Blu-print 6 and Z Depth software packages. The latest version of Blu-print adds “Profile 5″ (read: 3D) authoring compliance to its list of features, integrating all the offset metadata for 3D menus and working with MVC encoded video, while adding a few non-3D features like new DTS-HD encoding support and Windows Vista 64-bit compatibility. Z Depth’s job is keeping subtitles properly aligned in 3D, just one of the new issues that need to be dealt with in these discs.

No announcement of the pricing, but the full private version started around 50K USD, so expect it to empty your wallet. It’s a nice application of the 3D HD format, let’s just hope some pundits assessment of the 3D format doesn’t come to pass.

Sunday: Art of the HDTV Deal

Once again we offer some of the best deals on the web on fine HDTV models. Feel free to take a look:

Crutchfield.com – Here’s a nice deal on a well-reviewed model: The Sony Bravia 32” KDL32BX300 720p 60Hz LCD HDTV for $409.99 – $20.00 off coupon code we’ve kindly given you “3A825″ = $389.99 with free shipping as well. Once one of the priciest models on the market, Sony HDTVs have really come down in recent months.

BuyDig.com has a sweet Samsung LN46C630 46” 1080p 120Hz LCD HDTV for $989.00 – $140 off coupon code we give you to use at your leisure: “LN46C630″ = $849.00 with free shipping. Tough to beat that, folks!

Thanks for joining us and feel free to check out these great deals, and join us tomorrow for more HDTV centric joy.

Cheap (sort of) 3D: LG released lower cost 3D HDTV models

LG has been one those companies that always surprises us with some interesting decisions, and now a “lower cost” 3D option for HDTV? Yes indeed, and they’ll coming soon for the Japanese market. Engadget has us covered with all the details:

Say hello to LG’s new “low cost” option for a 3D LCD TV, the LX6500 series. The term entry level is being tossed around, but at 5.9 million won ($4,390) for a 55-inch, it’s more of a slightly less expensive alternative to the high end 9500 series that started shipping in March. Altogether that means you’ll see a different LED backlighting system with fewer zones, lower 240Hz refresh rate and 8,000,000:1 claimed contrast ratio compared to the more expensive HDTV models, but it still maintains a slim bezel and NetCast internet features. Along with its 42- and 47-inch cousins, these TVs have already popped up for preorder stateside on Vanns.com for significantly less ($3,299 for the 55LX6500) but we’d probably wait and see how they compare to Samsung’s LED or CCFL lit options, as well as the similar Bravias on the way from Sony before committing any cash to the cause.

Good advice, that last sentence. Odds are the other competing companies will have something to say with this move being made.

OLED Joy: New models from TVLogic arriving, now including 3D goodness

Hot on the heels of Sony making a splash with its 7.4-inch, $3,850 PVM-740 monitor, a company called TVLogic grabs their share of attention with two professional OLED sets that are each twice as big, with (more than likely) twice the cost as Sony’s model.

Both are 1,366 x 768 res with a 100,000:1 native contrast ratio (cue drooling), and are apparently based on LG’s design for their 15-inch OLED panel, but just the TDM-150W is fully 3D-capable. Perhaps this article may come true yet?

Yes, this does make it the very first 3D OLED display in the marketplace. Pricing? Not yet, but look for 4K+ territory more than likely to start out with, seeing as their 17″ monitors start in the $3K range.

Sunday’s Scary Good HDTV Deals

This writer is celebrating a Birthday tomorrow, so we’re breaking out some really good deals here in this post today. Read on to find out more:

BuyDig.com – How about a fine LG TV for a great price, like the LG 50PK550 50″ 1080p Plasma HDTV for $979, and free shipping. Big, bright and plenty of power to watch anything in the finest detail. Check it out!

Walmart.com – Now Sony’s are finally coming down into the reasonable range price wise, and with this deal on the Sony BRAVIA EX400 Series 46” LCD Flat Panel HDTV – Black for $809.00, with free shipping, it hits a new low in price. Great reviews and well-known quality make for a fine pair.

Thanks for joining us and have a good rest of the weekend!

Revealed: Sony 3D HDTV Pricing

We’ve been awaiting for some US pricing details on Sony’s 3DTV line for awhile now, and while SonyStyle still shows only a rather unhelpful “notify me,” link, JR.com is listing (official?) pricing info for the LX900 (shown in the pic), HX900 and HX800 model 3D LCDs, something we wish Sony would do.

As per usual, preorder pricing can change pretty quickly, but right now $1,799 gets you a 40″ LED edge lit XBR-40LX900 with integrated 3D, WiFi and face-tracking, all the way up to the monster, living-room-filling 60″ version at a hefty $3,779.  Prices are actually a little below what was expected, especially for Sony.

The HX900 (LED backlit) and HX800 (LED edge lit) are both “3D capable,” which means they require a separate emitter plus the shutter glasses to really make it sing. These will be released early this summer, but at least you know how quarter rolls to stash away to get these beauties.

It’s (still) a 3D world: Sony announced new three-dimensional lineup

Yes, there will be quite a flood of 3D HDTV news over the coming days (Samsung and Panasonic both have announcements over the next couple of days) as companies scramble to jump onto the 3D train, for reasons we can’t really understand.

Sony has revealed pricing and shipping information for its new televisions and related accessories in Japan, including 3D TVs, glasses, and even (gasp!) 2-D traditional HDTVs that will arrive on store shelves quite soon. There will be 40″-60″ models, ranging from $3,200 to $6,400 USD. You can pair them with this player, for maximum coolness.

So now we’ll have 3 companies producing 3D HDTV models, and an as yet undetermined market for people to buy new TVs (and active shutter glasses) to fully support 3D. It’s a real gamble in our book, but who knows. It could pay off…one day.

Saturday’s HDTV Deal-o-Rama

Here they are, once again, the HDTV weekend deals:

Vanns.com has a nice deal on the Sony Bravia KDL-52W5150 52” LCD HDTV for $1397.77 , and free shipping too. We’ve noticed a good price drop on Sony TVs of late, and that trend continues with this awesome deal.

TigerDirect.com has a great LG Plasma unit, the 42PQ30 42” 720p “Smooth Motion” Plasma HDTV for $549.99 with free shipping as well. Unbelievable pic (and that famous LG quality) for a great low price.

Thanks for reading, and please do come again for more great HDTV news and deals!

Released: Sony’s 3D Blu-Ray players sent into the wild

Sony’s latest Blu-ray players have been sold on the internet for a few months now,  but they’ve invaded stores at the retail level now, spotted on the shelf at a Best Buy store. Whether this matters for the 3D format in the long term remains to be seen. There’s already a 3D HDTV available for sale from Samsung, so a natural pair is now created.

A check on the Best Buy website shows the BDP-S470 and BDP-S570 available at many stores, so they’ve easily accessible at most any BB store out there.

We know they are capable of a Full HDTV 3D experience and are plenty speedy in terms of loading/access times (a big jump over many incarnations of BR players) but a few readers have already written in on various blogs and noted that the DLNA access mentioned isn’t available yet, and may require a future firmware update, always a good thing to do with new technology, we must say.

Dimension Ready: Sony announces 3D compatibility with new models

Last we’d heard, some of Sony’s retail locations had 3D displays (at least 3D capable ones) to show off, but no 3D software to run on them. For those who are excited about HDTV 3D, this bit of news is a good thing: Sony is ready. This isn’t the first 3D TV, but it could be the harbinger of things to come in the 3D world.

Today the company has stated that all 42 Sony Style stores are armed with LX900, HX900 and HX800 series BRAVIA models ready to show 3DTV, and equipped to make the best of it. We remain skeptics, but if a company like Sony is jumping on board, then perhaps it has a chance to succeed.

Many have already said: the only hope for HD 3D to be even moderately successful in homes is the ability to show off the technology easily, and this is a big step towards that. Here’s to hoping that Sony will really move forward with this new technology and bring to living rooms across the globe, and that our skepticism is proven faulty.

XEL-1 Dead? Sony stops production of OLED TV model in Japan

The XEL-1 (known as one of the first widely produced OLED set) was 11″ of pure HDTV wonder, but the time has come for this model, it appears. It’s 2K price tag made it rather unattractive to many HDTV fans, who tend to like much bigger screens. The writing was on the wall for this one, and now Sony has lowered the axe on this one in Japan.

Sony announced today that it was pulling the plug on production for the XEL-1 in Japan, citing “sluggish demand” as the primary cause. It will remain a curiosity and collectors item, more than likely. Cost has been the main reason why OLED hasn’t appeared on more shelves around the world, and until that obstacle is overcome, OLED won’t make a dent. Hopefully, that will be sooner than later, if our report here is accurate.

There’s a rumor that Japanese censoring laws are another reason Sony pulled the model, but these are unsubstantiated rumors, really.

Next Page »