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The HT Guys HDTV and Home Theater Podcast #317 - 10 Really Expensive A/V Products and Super-Slim HDTVs
By The HT Guys
Braden Russell and Ara Derderian
Posted on October 6, 2008
Category: General Interest
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Today's Show:
Amazon has an excellent write-up on four super slim HDTVs.  They offer a glimpse into the future of what television may be like in a few years. Imagine what the family room or the home theater will look like when wireless HDMI removes the need to tether your TV to a set top box or a Bu-ray player. And it also removes the need to have your speakers wired to your receiver or amplifier. Couple that with a giant 60, 70 or even 80-inch flat panel TV only millimeters thick, mounted directly to the wall. Now we're talking Jetson's technology. And by the looks of things, it may not be that far off.

Super-Slim HDTVs
From Amazon:
New technologies are making flat-panel HDTVs slimmer and brighter than ever before. From LG's smooth frameless "Edge" plasma to Samsung's 2-inch deep 850 LCD series to Sony's revolutionary OLED technology, here are some of the slimmest and brightest.

Sony XEL-1 11" OLED HDTV (Buy now)
Sony’s industry first OLED (Organic Light Emitting Diode) TV, the XEL-1, has a 3 millimeter thin panel and offers unparalleled picture quality with amazing Contrast, outstanding Brightness, exceptional color reproduction, and a rapid Response Time. The XEL-1 delivers outstanding performance in key picture quality categories.

OLED technology can completely turn off Pixels when reproducing black, resulting in more outstanding dark scene detail and a Contrast Ratio of 1,000,000:1. OLED creates unmatched color expression and detail and enables rapid response times for smooth and natural reproduction of fast moving content such as sports. The XEL-1 features the latest connectivity options including two HDMI inputs, a Digital tuner, and a Memory Stick slot for viewing high-Resolution photos.

Street price: $2,499 USD

LG "Edge" Frameless 1080p Plasma HDTVs
LG wraps their latest Full HD 1080p ultra-slim 3.1-inch plasma panel in a sophisticated single layer design. Hidden speakers enhance the clean, contemporary look. This display is also THX Certified, providing outstanding picture quality. The LG 50PG60 plasma HDTV was awarded the "Best of Innovations" award at the 2008 International Consumer Electronics Show for its cutting-edge display technologies and seamless look.

Street price: $2,088
Also available, 60" 60PG60 for $3,239

Samsung LN52A850 52" 1080p LCD HDTV with RED Touch of Color (Buy now)
At only 1.9 inches thick, Samsung's striking new 850 series offers all of the features of the 750 Series models in an incredibly thin, sleek package. The Series 8 1080p LCD HDTVs have all of the features you'd expect from a top-of-the-line Samsung - superb image, a blazing-fast 4ms response time, 120Hz refresh rate with Automotion plus image interpolation technology for smooth fast motion, and rich interconnectivity, all wrapped in the stylish "TOC" color-infused bezel. Enjoy MPEG and JPEG files stored on external devices by connecting through a side-mounted USB 2.0, turning their LCD into a full-scale home viewing gallery, or connect their MP3 players for a dynamic audio experience.

Includes built-in DLNA

Street price: $2,569

Sony Bravia KLV-40ZX1M
Sony is also introducing the 40-inch diagonal 1080p KLV-40ZX1M flat panel LCD monitor. The revolutionary display measures just approximately 9.9mm deep--about the depth of a Blu-ray disc jewel case--and weighs just 26 pounds.

The 40ZX1M features an edge-lit wide color gamut LED backlight delivering exceptional color reproduction and detailed contrast and Sony’s Motionflow 120 Hz technology for clarity and resolution when viewing film or video content with motion, and BRAVIA Engine 2 video processing.

The monitor will have just one HDMI port, so an A/V receiver will be required to provide ports for connecting multiple content sources. However. compatibility with Sony’s BRAVIA Wireless Link allowing users to stream high content wirelessly to the monitor from high-definition sources such as a set-top cable or satellite tuner or Blu-ray Disc player.

Sony is producing a matching flat speaker bar with four full-range speakers and two tweeters and a wall-hugging bracket.

The BRAVIA KLV-40ZX1M is expected to ship in December 2008.


Posted by The HT Guys, October 6, 2008 11:14 PM

More from The HT Guys

About The HT Guys

The HT Guys, Ara Derderian and Braden Russell, are Engineers who formerly worked for the Advanced Digital Systems Group (ADSG) of Sony Pictures Entertainment. ADSG was the R&D unit of the sound department producing products for movie theaters and movie studios.

Two of the products they worked on include the DCP-1000 and DADR-5000. The DCP is a digital cinema processor used in movie theaters around the world. The DADR-5000 is a disk-based audio dubber used on Hollywood sound stages.

ADSG was awarded a Technical Academy Award by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences in 2000 for the development of the DADR-5000. Ara holds three patents for his development work in Digital Cinema and Digital Audio Recording.

Every week they put together a podcast about High Definition TV and Home Theater. Each episode brings news from the A/V world, helpful product reviews and insights and help in demystifying and simplifying HDTV and home theater.