Television Technology Reviews, News http://www.cnet.co.uk/ Television Technology Reviews, News en http://blogs.law.harvard.edu/tech/rss Sat, 04 Jul 2009 09:48:40 +0100 Sat, 04 Jul 2009 09:48:40 +0100 http://www.cnet.co.uk/i/c/gl/log/log-cnetmain.gif http://www.cnet.co.uk/ Television Technology Reviews, News 122 123 20 The console maker is bringing the might of its marketing machine to bear on prime-time TV, as it teams up with Five for a new eight-part show

]]> cnetuk/49302860 http://crave.cnet.co.uk/televisions/0,39029474,49302860,00.htm Thu, 02 Jul 2009 17:55:02 +0100 Nintendo on TV: Britain's Best Brain on Five ian.morris@cnet.co.uk (Ian Morris)

Here are some things that aren't dead: Jeff Goldblum and plasma TVs. Of course, if you're reading this in 2050 there's a good chance that Jeff Goldblum is now dead, but if it's 2050, why on Earth are you reading about a plasma from 41 years ago? That's like us reading about a black and white TV in a little wooden cabinet. Anyway, how is the future? Are there hoverboards yet? Is 3D TV still a dismal waste of time? Please, do tell us all about your exciting futuristic lives via the comments section -- it's been fitted with a flux capacitor which should enable your thoughts to transcend the usual rules of linear time. So, as we were saying, plasma isn't dead, despite rumours to the contrary, and LG's 50PS6000 should help persuade you of this unassailable fact.

]]> cnetuk/49302855 http://crave.cnet.co.uk/televisions/0,39029474,49302855,00.htm Thu, 02 Jul 2009 12:28:02 +0100 LG 50PS6000: Rumours of plasma's death greatly exaggerated ian.morris@cnet.co.uk (Ian Morris) We love HD -- that shouldn't come as much of a surprise -- but we're very worried indeed about Ofcom's proposals for Freeview HD. Find out why

]]> cnetuk/49302788 http://crave.cnet.co.uk/televisions/0,39029474,49302788,00.htm Fri, 26 Jun 2009 17:07:02 +0100 Freeview HD: Ofcom strikes fear into our HD-loving hearts ian.morris@cnet.co.uk (Ian Morris)

Happy days, news lovers: from spring 2010 you'll be able to watch every disaster, crime spree and corrupt politician in fabulous high definition when Sky launches Sky News HD. Hopefully there will be Dolby Digital surround sound too, so we can hear the boos from backbenchers in Parliament as if we were Gordon Brown himself.

]]> cnetuk/49302591 http://crave.cnet.co.uk/televisions/0,39029474,49302591,00.htm Thu, 11 Jun 2009 11:53:02 +0100 Sky News HD: Watch the horror and suffering of humanity in glorious high definition ian.morris@cnet.co.uk (Ian Morris) The 46-inch, 1080p, LED-edge-lit UE46B8000 is fantastically thin, offers excellent picture quality and is packed full of useful and entertaining features. It's pricey and there are some patchiness issues with the backlight on rare occasions, but this is a remarkable set

]]> cnetuk/49302525 http://reviews.cnet.co.uk/televisions/0,39030219,49302525,00.htm Mon, 08 Jun 2009 16:27:02 +0100 Samsung UE46B8000 review nate.lanxon@cnet.co.uk (Nate Lanxon) The ass print in your sofa is likely to get sizeably more cavernous from 25 June, when Channel 4 moves much of its old content from 4oD to Channel4.com

]]> cnetuk/49302538 http://crave.cnet.co.uk/televisions/0,39029474,49302538,00.htm Mon, 08 Jun 2009 13:02:02 +0100 Channel 4 to put thousands of hours of old TV online for free ian.morris@cnet.co.uk (Ian Morris) We're always thrilled when an impressive new TV comes into the office, and after Samsung's superb 7000 series, we were very keen to tear the packaging from the company's newest screen

]]> cnetuk/49302468 http://crave.cnet.co.uk/televisions/0,39029474,49302468,00.htm Tue, 02 Jun 2009 16:14:02 +0100 Photos: Samsung UE46B8000 1080p TV with Twitter, widgets and LED backlight nate.lanxon@cnet.co.uk (Nate Lanxon) We can confirm today that Microsoft has teamed up with BSkyB to bring Sky Player to the Xbox 360, and we've not only seen it in action, but got the pictures to prove it

]]> cnetuk/49302415 http://crave.cnet.co.uk/televisions/0,39029474,49302415,00.htm Fri, 29 May 2009 00:00:00 +0100 Photos: Sky Player comes to Xbox Live ian.morris@cnet.co.uk (Ian Morris) Sky and Microsoft could be joining up to offer live TV and pay-per-view content on the Xbox 360. In other news, 9 million satellite dishes gently weep

]]> cnetuk/49302400 http://crave.cnet.co.uk/televisions/0,39029474,49302400,00.htm Thu, 28 May 2009 11:37:02 +0100 Sky TV coming to your Xbox 360? ian.morris@cnet.co.uk (Ian Morris) If you like your thingummies numbering in the trillions and your wotsits in the tens of thousands, the new Philips Ambilight-equipped 32PFL9604 should make your life 145 per cent better

]]> cnetuk/49302385 http://crave.cnet.co.uk/televisions/0,39029474,49302385,00.htm Wed, 27 May 2009 12:52:02 +0100 Philips Ambilight 32PFL9604 LCD TV: Trillions of stuff, thousands of things ian.morris@cnet.co.uk (Ian Morris) As 32-inch, 1080p LCD TVs go, the Regza 32RV635DB is a sturdy and likeable performer, offering good picture quality, decent sound, plenty of user-configurable options and a pleasant design. It won't blow your socks off, but there's very little to dislike and the price is reasonable too

]]> cnetuk/49302355 http://reviews.cnet.co.uk/televisions/0,39030219,49302355,00.htm Tue, 26 May 2009 15:33:02 +0100 Toshiba Regza 32RV635DB review ian.morris@cnet.co.uk (Ian Morris) On 15 September 2008 we reviewed the Pioneer PDP-LX5090 and found it to be flipping marvellous -- several months on, it feels like a good time to review its long-term performance

]]> cnetuk/49302237 http://crave.cnet.co.uk/televisions/0,39029474,49302237,00.htm Mon, 11 May 2009 16:04:01 +0100 Long-term test: Long-time loving with the Pioneer Kuro PDP-LX5090 ian.morris@cnet.co.uk (Ian Morris) It's not the most feature-packed set in the world and its design is rather conservative, but the 42-inch, 1080p Viera TX-P42S10 is still a terrific plasma TV. It's a brilliant performer with high-definition content and it offers a good Freeview experience too. There's really very little to dislike

]]> cnetuk/49302146 http://reviews.cnet.co.uk/televisions/0,39030219,49302146,00.htm Fri, 01 May 2009 13:41:01 +0100 Panasonic Viera TX-P42S10 review nate.lanxon@cnet.co.uk (Nate Lanxon)

A week after the BBC's catchup service went hi-def on the iPlayer Web site, Virgin Media customers can now stream HD iPlayer content through the Virgin V+ HD set-top box, absolutely free. You'll need to be a licence-payer, of course.

]]> cnetuk/49302170 http://crave.cnet.co.uk/televisions/0,39029474,49302170,00.htm Fri, 01 May 2009 11:58:02 +0100 BBC iPlayer HD comes to Virgin Media ian.morris@cnet.co.uk (Ian Morris) Sony claims to have cured juddery motion once and for all with its new Z5500 TV range. We can only hope it turns its team of wizards and witches to the problem of swine flu

]]> cnetuk/49302152 http://crave.cnet.co.uk/televisions/0,39029474,49302152,00.htm Thu, 30 Apr 2009 12:29:02 +0100 Sony Bravia Z5500: Makes motion smooth, has off switch ian.morris@cnet.co.uk (Ian Morris) BBC HD launched recently on iPlayer, so we put it through its paces to see if it could compete with actual broadcast-quality HD and keep those without access to the BBC HD channel happy

]]> cnetuk/49302141 http://crave.cnet.co.uk/televisions/0,39029474,49302141,00.htm Wed, 29 Apr 2009 15:47:02 +0100 BBC iPlayer HD: Good enough to watch on a high-definition TV? ian.morris@cnet.co.uk (Ian Morris) The BBC recently took time out of its busy schedule to explain -- in graphic form -- what copy protection is, and how it will affect us. We spotted a problem

]]> cnetuk/49302124 http://crave.cnet.co.uk/televisions/0,39029474,49302124,00.htm Tue, 28 Apr 2009 13:22:02 +0100 BBC HD copy protection: Abject failure ian.morris@cnet.co.uk (Ian Morris) If you're looking for top-notch, 1080p picture quality from a 42-inch TV, may we suggest you consider the delightful new Panasonic TX-P42S10? At less than a grand, it's a smashing deal

]]> cnetuk/49302110 http://crave.cnet.co.uk/televisions/0,39029474,49302110,00.htm Mon, 27 Apr 2009 12:37:02 +0100 Panasonic Viera TX-P42S10: Glorious 1080p for less than 1080 pounds ian.morris@cnet.co.uk (Ian Morris) If you love plasma TVs as much as we do, you'll be thrilled to hear LG is still committed to producing plasmas -- and what's more, it's loading more features than ever into them

]]> cnetuk/49302077 http://crave.cnet.co.uk/televisions/0,39029474,49302077,00.htm Thu, 23 Apr 2009 12:57:02 +0100 LG PS8000: LG gets serious about plasma TVs ian.morris@cnet.co.uk (Ian Morris) If you discount its ridiculous name, the 42-inch, 1080p Art SL 42 Full-HD+ 100 DR+ LCD TV has plenty going for it. It's attractive, boasts good picture and sound quality, and offers more configuration options than you can shake a stick at. The real question is whether you're willing to spend over £3,000 on a TV

]]> cnetuk/49301940 http://reviews.cnet.co.uk/televisions/0,39030219,49301940,00.htm Mon, 20 Apr 2009 12:34:02 +0100 Loewe Art SL 42 Full-HD+ 100 DR+ review Adobe has announced a version of its Flash software optimised for TVs and Blu-ray players that will let developers bring video and Web apps to the living room

]]> cnetuk/49302021 http://crave.cnet.co.uk/televisions/0,39029474,49302021,00.htm Mon, 20 Apr 2009 10:40:02 +0100 Adobe Flash bringing more widgets to TVs Representing LG's first entry into the freesat TV market, the 42-inch 42LF7700 LCD TV with a 1080p resolution is an admirable effort at a reasonable price. Boasting a seriously attractive design, it also offers hugely watchable pictures, although its black-level response is slightly disappointing

]]> cnetuk/49301954 http://reviews.cnet.co.uk/televisions/0,39030219,49301954,00.htm Tue, 14 Apr 2009 12:50:02 +0100 LG 42LF7700 (freesat) review The HD Ready Viera TX-L26X10 is pricey for a no-frills, 26-inch LCD TV, but it offers a better AV performance than the vast majority of its rivals. It won't win any design awards, but if you're looking for a second-room TV and care about performance, this set is well worth considering

]]> cnetuk/49301939 http://reviews.cnet.co.uk/televisions/0,39030219,49301939,00.htm Thu, 09 Apr 2009 17:02:02 +0100 Panasonic Viera TX-L26X10 review Unfortunately, the 1080p, 46-inch Aquos LC46DH77E LCD TV doesn't fully deliver on its eco-friendly promise. It's just as well, then, that this set looks fantastic, puts in a mostly excellent performance with high-definition content, and bears a remarkably low price tag for such a big TV

]]> cnetuk/49301934 http://reviews.cnet.co.uk/televisions/0,39030219,49301934,00.htm Thu, 09 Apr 2009 13:31:02 +0100 Sharp Aquos LC46DH77E review richard.trenholm@cnet.co.uk (Rich Trenholm)

It turns out sorry isn't the hardest word after all. Notorious ladies' man Russell Brand is apologising again, but we don't blame him for this one: he's one of the Channel 4 stars with a message for Mac users. Hit play on the video after the jump to see just what the 4oD catch-up service has to say for itself.

]]> cnetuk/49301933 http://crave.cnet.co.uk/televisions/0,39029474,49301933,00.htm Thu, 09 Apr 2009 11:32:02 +0100 Russell Brand apologises... to Mac users