October, 2007 | HD TV PROFESSOR

Month: October 2007

Bright Future for Plasma?

October 31, 2007 | Ibex Marketing

Lots of analysts -- including myself -- are a bit pessimistic about the future of plasma HDTVs. The increased efficiency of LCD panel production has led to the routing of plasma in HDTV sizes up to 50", and LCD is making gains at that size as well. It's easier to make 1080p resolution panels with LCD than with plasma, which is helping power the shift as well. There is one...

SneakerNet DVR

October 30, 2007 | Ibex Marketing

"SneakerNet" was the derogatory term for transfering data from one computer to another by copying it to a floppy disk and walking the disk from one computer to the Other. SanDisk has released the SansaTake TV, a USB device designed to make it easy to transfer video content from a PC to a television. You connect the SansaTake TV to your computer, and transfer video content to it. You then...

LCD HDTV: Through the Window?

October 29, 2007 | Ibex Marketing

One of the big differences between plasma and LCD panels is that plasma can use relatively inexpensive glass, but LCDs require special glass made expressly for use as LCD panel substrates. Corning makes about 60% of the world's supply of this special glass, but a new development demonstrated by Samsung last week could change the dynamics of that market. According to a report in DigiTimes, Samsung showed a 19" LCD...

NBC Bails on YouTube

October 26, 2007 | Ibex Marketing

NBC has pulled clips of its programs from YouTube, apparently in preparation for the launch of the network's Hulu site on the Web. Hulu is a new joint project between NBC and News Corp that is supposed to launch by the end of October but there are few signs of life at the Web address. The new service will apparently host full length episodes of NBC and Fox programming. This...

The End of HDTV Cables?

October 25, 2007 | Ibex Marketing

Last Monday, an article in Information Week described the new chips for mmWave technology under development by IBM in partnership with MediaTek of Taiwan. According to the report, this new wireless technology uses milimeter wavelength radio signals to transmit data. And we're talking fast transmissions, up to 2 Gbits per second. This is fast enough to transmit 1080i or 720p signals in real time. The HDMI cable makers don't have...

Blu-ray? HD DVD? You CAN Choose!

October 24, 2007 | Ibex Marketing

An article in the Wall Street Journal last week shed light on a little-known fact about the high definition DVD market. Both sides in the conflict make a big deal about which Hollywood studios have exclusive agreements for US distribution in one format or the other, with the Blu-ray camp stressing the number of studios on their side. As it turns out, you may not have to choose format based...

Is Service the Key to HDTV Sales?

October 23, 2007 | Ibex Marketing

Consumers continue to be confused by all the HDTV choices (as well as all the talk about the unrelated end of analog "over the air" broadcasts of television programs), so manufacturers and retailers are looking for effective ways to differentiate their offerings from the competition. Philips has decided that service may be the answer, and last week announced the Simplicity Advantage Program. This plan provides buyers of Philips TVs up...

The Daily Show Archives Online!

October 22, 2007 | Ibex Marketing

Okay, you no longer have to rely on crudely recorded clips of Jon Stewart's "The Daily Show" on YouTube to get your news reports (or check back on what has happened over the past eight years). Commedy Central has posted 13,000 video clips of past shows on the program's Web site. No, I didn't count to make sure that they're all there; I am taking their word for it. I...

FCC Fines for Analog-Only TV Sales

October 19, 2007 | Ibex Marketing

People are getting serious about the February 17, 2009 cut-off for analog over-the-air television broadcasts. The FCC has started taking money from retailers for failing to inform buyers adequately about the limitations of some of the sets that they sell. As of earlier this year, stores were not allowed to import televisions that do not have a digital tuner. (It's still okay to sell displays that have no tuner at...

End of the Road for Another LCoS

October 18, 2007 | Ibex Marketing

It's enough to make me start wondering if I've got my own version of the Sports Illustrated "Kiss of Death" going here. (Buy me a cold bevearage and ask about the Cauzin Strip Reader or the PD CD format or the Zenith MiniSport's 2" floppy disk sometime....) But I had to go all enthusiastic over the Olevia 665H that I saw in Denver last month at CEDIA 2007, a gorgeous...

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