HDTV

Best Buy just announced that they are now offering Black Friday pricing on several models of flat panel televisions as well as home theater products. The company also lowered the price of entry level Dynex LCD HDTVs – the 32-inch Dynex LCD HDTV is now $299.99 and the 40-inch Dynex 1080p is $499.99.

Black Friday pricing will be available on several Samsung models, including a 32-inch 720p LCD HDTV for $397.99, as well as a 50-inch plasma 720p HDTV for $697.99 starting Sunday, November 22, 2009.

"Best Buy is committed to continuing to offer a superior shopping experience this holiday season," says Josh Will, vice president of Home Theater, Best Buy. "Customers can be confident that they are getting some of the best prices in the industry, as well as the convenience of being able to shop when and where they want either in store or online."

To learn more about more special offers visit www.bestbuy.com.

Panasonic certainly has something to brag about today. Two of their products, the TC-P54Z1 VIERA Plasma HDTV and the LUMIX GF1 digital camera, were just named "The Best of What's New" in the Home Entertainment and Gadgets categories by Popular Science magazine.

The winner in the Home Entertainment category is the Panasonic TC-P54Z1 VIERA Plasma. Sporting an ultra-thin 1-inch profile, this Plasma can be placed in areas you never would have considered before! And, it uses wireless technology with a maximum transmission rate of approximately 4Gbs, allowing full-HD uncompressed video and audio signals to be transmitted up to 30 feet from the TV. Also, the remote is RF, so the external box that houses all the electronics and connections can be placed out of sight. Read more

Sony has announced they will offer owners of BRAVIA HDTVs and Blu-ray players the opportunity to rent "Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs" a month before it is available at retail stores.

Those who purchase a networked BRAVIA HDTV or Blu-ray Disc player and register the device between Nov. 9, 2009 and Jan. 4, 2010, will receive a free 24-hour rental of the movie in HD. The movie will become available on December 8, 2009.

If you already own a networked BRAVIA HDTVs or have earlier BRAVIA models equipped with the BRAVIA Internet Video Link, the movie will be available to rent from Dec. 8, 2009 through Jan. 4, 2010, for $24.95. Read more

Panasonic just announced the availability of the TH-85PF12U, the industry's first 85-inch, full HD 1080p plasma display. Weighing in at just 260 lbs, and only 3.9 inches thin, this plasma is much thinner and lighter than past models, thanks to Panasonic's NeoPDP technology. Also, it uses about half the energy of Panasonic's current full HD models in the same sizes, and has an image resolution of 1,080 lines – which is the world's highest moving image resolution. It also has the highest contrast ratio at 40,000:1 / 2,000,000:1 dynamic.

The TH-85PF12U will come standard with the TYFB10HMD Dual 1080p HDMI card, the TY42TM6A component card as well as a fixed PC input. Also, this unit will be equipped with anti-glare glass as standard. All of this comes at a cost, however. The TH-85PF12U has an MSRP of $30,000. Read more

Samsung just announced that Amazon Video On Demand is available on select Samsung HDTVs via a downloadable widget. Also, Blockbuster's Video On Demand service is now on select 2009 Samsung HDTVs, Blu-ray Players and Blu-ray integrated Home Theater Systems.

Owners of Samsung LCD and Plasma HDTVs Series 650 and above and Samsung LED HDTVs Series 7000 and above can download the Amazon Video On Demand widget for free using the Internet@TV – Content Service feature on their HDTVs.

Specific models featuring the BLOCKBUSTER On Demand service include Samsung Series 650 and above LCD and Plasma HDTVs and Series 7000 and above LED HDTVs. The service is also on Samsung BD -P1600, BD-P3600 and BD-P4600 Blu-ray players, as well as select Samsung Blu-ray integrated Home Theater Systems (HT-BD1250, HT-BD3252, HT-BD7200 and HT-BD8200) via firmware upgrade.

For more information visit www.samsung.com.

We told you about Bell'O's new No Tools Assembly audio video furniture not very long ago…but now you can check out a new demo video from Bell'O to see how their patent pending No Tools Assembly latch system design works.

This A/V ready-to-assemble (RTA) furniture takes just minutes to set up! Three HDTV stand models are available in wood (WAVS-326, WAVS-333 and WAVS-321) and accommodate TVs of all types, including plasma, LCD, DLP, projection and micro-display, along with related electronics and a center channel speaker.

Samsung just announced its latest CCFL-backlit LCD TV– the 65" LCD 650 Series (LN65B650) with 1080p resolution. The LN65B650 features Auto Motion Plus 120Hz refresh rate, fast 4ms response time to reduce blurring, and high contrast ratios for deeper blacks. The LN65B650 also has networking and connectivity capabilities, and meets the latest Energy Star qualifications.

Other features include:

• Ultra Clear Panel technology: enhances colors and reduces glare in rooms with a lot of ambient light.
• Wide Color Enhancer 3: ensures accurate reproduction of colors with shows, movies, games and more, regardless of the viewing environment.
• Samsung Medi@2.0 suite: Ready for both wired and wireless connectivity, get content via the Internet@TV - Content Service, built-in Content Library, DLNA and more. Internet@TV delivers access to Internet content from Yahoo!, Flickr, YouTube, and more via easy-to-use TV widgets.
• USB 2.0 interface: Easily share and view media files on your TV from a digital camera, MP3 player, or even a thumb drive.

It also includes 4 HDMI inputs, two component cable slots, RCA and USB jacks. The LN65B650 supports VGA, Optical audio out and RS-232 serial adapters.

The Samsung LN65B650 will be available this month for about $6000.

Sony just introduced a new line of super-thin BRAVIA LCD HDTVs at CEDIA – the XBR10 series. The XBR10 models feature an edge-lit LED backlight, a contrast ratio of over 1,000,000:1, and also deliver 1080p wireless transmission of HD signals from a separate media box to a receiver embedded in the TV, so your components can be placed out of sight.

The XBR10 series also feature Sony's Motionflow 240Hz technology, an Ethernet connection, USB input, and are Digital Living Network Alliance (DLNA) compliant, giving you access to photos, music, and video stored on a PC or other DLNA server using the XMB interface and the TV's remote control. Read more

The VUDU HD service is now available on LG's LH50 1080p LCD series and PS80 plasma 1080p series with NetCast Entertainment Access. Also, for a limited time, the first HD or HDX movie rental is free, giving you the opportunity to try the VUDU service on your LG HDTV.

Features of the VUDU service include:

• Pay as you go to rent or buy movies, with no subscription or monthly fees
• Instant streaming without long waits for buffering or downloads
• Instant-start at all quality levels, including HDX 1080p
• Dolby Digital Plus 5.1 surround sound at all quality levels
• Fast forward, rewind and browse chapters without the delays and frustration associated with slow buffering
• Weekly updates to the VUDU library, including new releases same day as DVD
• Newly released movies from major studios are available months before they are available on subscription-based services