Eco-friendly is the general theme of Sharp's facility because it's all about creating and saving energy. From the energy-conserving LCD displays and solar panels being produced to the technology being used around the actual factory, Mama Nature's got plenty to smile about here.

Ok, maybe the whole place is a bit eerie with those hallways, but did anyone really think that LCDs would be built in a cheery-looking factory?

Note: Due to the unprecedented price fluctuations seen on TV pricing this week from online retailers, don't be startled if the prices we brazenly quoted here are off—by pennies or by hundreds. The model numbers are there for a reason, so you can check prices yourself when you're ready to cash out.

Panasonic X1 Plasma Series

Plasma HDTVs provide the best picture performance and these 720p Panasonics—shown up top—are the value champs. Plasma screens have a wider viewing angle than any LCD panel, excellent contrast and color fidelity. The X1s include 600Hz refresh for full motion resolution, an SD card reader for digital photos and an anti-reflective screen coating (the shiny one). Available in 42-inch and 50-inch screen sizes. If you're going to set it up at a distance of 9 feet or more, it's almost silly to spend extra for more resolution.

The best deal is the TC-P50X1, a 50 incher selling for $689.98 at Electronics Expo (via Amazon).

Panasonic S1 Plasma Series

The S1s are Panasonic's least expensive 1080p line to feature its energy saving, high contrast, deep black level Neo PDP plasma technology. In addition to the full 1080 line motion resolution and an anti-reflective screen coating (the shiny one), there's an SD card reader. If you're looking for a Full HD 1080p TV with the excellent performance and don't care about features like internet connectivity or THX-certified picture and sound modes (which the step-up G10 line has), these are the HDTVs for you. Available from 42-inch to 65-inch screen sizes.

Under $1,000, your best shot is the TC-P42S1, a 42-inch set now selling for $797.95 at Amazon.

LG LH30 Series

LG's LH30 is the first step-up from the baseline, maintaining a nice low price but delivering surprisingly good picture quality. This model has a wide-viewing-angle IPS LCD panel, dull-finish anti-glare screen coating (better than the shiny anti-reflective coating at cutting down natural-light reflections, but at a slight cost of contrast), pro color-calibration mode and "Picture Wizard." They add 1080p resolution and Smart Energy Savings for low power consumption. Offered in a range from 32 inches to 47 inches.

We were impressed to find the 47-inch 47LH30 locally for $900, and on Amazon for $938.15.

LG LH40 Series

The LH40 line adds 120Hz to plenty of models below $1000. If that's something you value, this is your best bet. Everything else here comes in the LH30 line, too. It's available in screen sizes ranging from 32 inches to 55 inches.

Locally, we spotted a 47-inch 47LH40 for $980, though it was over $1000 on Amazon. The 42-inch 42LH40 may be the best pick: It's currently $823 on Amazon.

Samsung B550 Series

This series represents Samsung's top 60Hz 1080p HDTVs. They provide excellent overall performance without any of the fancy features found on its higher-end models. They incorporate Samsung's Touch of Color bezel and its 6ms response time LCD panel, and are available in 32-inch to 52-inch sizes. Currently, the 46-inch LN46B550 is priced at $999 on Amazon.

For this story, Gary picked out 10 total deals. He is running the other five on HD Guru, so go have a look. If you came across any other good deals lately, let us know in comments, but be ready to defend the quality, not just the super sick price.

Gary Merson is the HD Guru, the industry's leading HDTV journalist. He's been reviewing TVs for well over a decade, and recently wrote a guide to choosing an HDTV.

Pixel Qi's last announced manufacturing date—residue of which still graces their website—was "the second half of 2009." In big, bold type, they've updated the claim: "We are starting mass production of this screen in December 2009," is proudly emblazoned on Pixel Qi's worryingly retro website, while "We totally totally promise this time," a comforting, if slightly desperate adjunct, is not. But this is:

We have begun design of a sub-10 watt HDTV that can be used in hundreds of millions of households that don't have steady, if any, access to electrical power. The typical HDTV uses more than 100 Watts and often draws several hundred watts. We are working on a way to massively lower the power consumption, and significantly lower the price with a target price of $100. Thus this HDTV can run off of battery that can be charged up when the power is on, or charged with a small solar panel, crank, or so forth.

I'm sure there are about a million different applications for a low-power screen tech that displays full-motion color, static e-ink and works in the sunlight, but don't get ahead of yourselves: we haven't seen a single non-prototype device yet. Throw us a bone, guys! And by bone, I mean the name of any hardware partner who's willing to make a product with this screen tech once it starts shipping. [Pixel Qi via Blogeee via Slashgear]

Apple Patent Describes iPod UI "Pushed" to Other Devices

An Apple patent filed in May 2008 describes a way of pushing whatever UI Apple wants to non-Apple hardware, for consistency's sake. That non-Apple hardware could include car stereos or something like the Chumby One (which has iPod functionality, but with a lookalike UI). It's a nice idea for Apple, but could be tricky given the myriad different hardware that might want to take advantage. What if the hardware has a resistive touchscreen, or a shitty processor? Might it just be better to use a custom interface for iPod integration? Regardless, it's in Remainders because it's not really that unexpected or interesting in its implications. [MacRumors]

Philips Announces Very Pretty Pro LCD Line

Philips' new high-end LCD line looks pretty fantastic, with two important caveats. First, let's drool a little: The two models (40- and 46-inch) have a 5,000,000:1 contrast ratio, 1ms response time, 5 HDMI ports (not sure why you'd need that many, but whatever) and a 200Hz refresh rate, with a nice brushed-aluminum look. Now, the caveats. First, they're UK only, and second, they're prohibitively expensive at about $3,000 and $4,100, respectively. Still, drool-worthy. [Engadget]

NYTimes Columnist Proposes Boycott of "Pro-Communist China" Bing

NY Times columnist Nicholas Kristof has proposed a boycott of Microsoft's Bing search engine due to its supposed pro-Chinese-government censorship of search terms like "Dalai Lama" and "Tienanmen" when searched in simplified Chinese characters. In English and other non-Chinese languages, the results you'd expect from "Tienanmen" show up, but in Chinese, apparently it returns sanitized results (no massacre, in that case). Since I'm not really sure how to type simplified Chinese characters on an all-Amurrican MacBook Pro keyboard, I haven't tested it myself—but if true, it's a little underhanded on Microsoft's part, although certainly paling in comparison to, you know, the Chinese government. What's odd is that Google's Chinese search also returns censored results, but "to a much lesser extent," so I guess it's okay. Weird stuff. [TechFlash]

Ooma Adds New Handsets and International Plan

Internet phone company Ooma began shipping its new Telo handset as well as offering a very cheap international calling plan (500 minutes for $5 per month). Ooma, for those who don't know (I assume this includes everyone) varies from other VoIP services like Vonage by cutting out the monthly fees, instead packing them into a fairly expensive set-top box, at $250. So this international plan requiring a monthly fee is a big deal for them, but it winds up in Remainders because I honestly had not even heard of Ooma until this morning. Oops. [Electronista]

Panasonic Z1

Panasonic's flagship HDTV is its thinnest 54-inch plasma HDTV ever, with only 1-inch depth. They did it by eliminating a third sheet of glass found in all other plasmas except Pioneer's Kuro, and bonding the anti-reflective coating directly top glass. The Z1 employs SiBEAM's 60GHz 1080p for wireless glitch-free images sent via the included transmitter/media box from up to 30 feet away. The Z1 has THX picture mode and a custom calibration mode, plus nice bonus features including VieraCast Internet connectivity for YouTube and Amazon VOD and an SD card reader for photos. The Z1 delivers amazing performance with full 1080 line motion resolution, accurate HD color, deep black levels and 96Hz for judder free movie viewing.

The sexiest HDTV of 2009, the TC-P54Z1 will set you back $4000.

Update: Many of you have commented that you prefer Panasonic's excellent Viera V10 series, and to Gary's credit, he gave the TV his highest rating, and is including it in his top 10 list, which he'll publish next week. There's nothing wrong with that TV, and if we indicated six here, it would certainly be shown. It has the same NeoPDP panel as the Z1, but it's not the same picture, because it has the third separate piece of glass with anti-reflective coating.

Pioneer Kuro Signature

You know it's been a weird year for TVs when not one but two of our top picks are no longer being manufactured, but are still being sold. Pioneer's sweetest (and last) Kuro line is technically a monitor: There's no tuner or audio. But the Signature models offer the deepest black of any high definition display on the market—without any white-letter-on-black-background halos occasionally seen on LED-based LCD TVs. The Signature models features hand selected parts, 2.5-in. depth, Custom Calibration, 72Hz refresh and control over the internet via its Ethernet connection. The Pioneer uses a single top sheet of glass to minimize internal reflections, with the anti-reflection coating bonded directly to the surface.

The Signature models are available at scattered retailers around the country in the 50-inch size (PRO-101FD) for about $3000 to $3500, and 60-inch size (PRO-141FD) for $4000 to $4800.

Samsung LNB8500

The 8500 series is Samsung flagship LED LCD TV. It feature packed with thin 1.6-inch depth, white LED local dimming backlights for improved uniformity, dual-chip 240 Hz plus a scanning backlight for excellent motion resolution and the best black level of any LED LCD observed to date. The 8500 features four HDMI inputs plus internet connectivity with Flickr, YouTube, weather, news and other widgets. It also has a PV+C input for connection to your computer or HTPC. This is a benchmark LED LCD to judge against every other make and model.

All this performance comes at a price. The LNB8500 series comes in 46-inch (UN46B8500) and 55-inch (UN55B8500) screen sizes, currently on Amazon for $2620 and $4020, respectively.

LG LH90

This LG has all the hot LCD performance features video freaks crave, including white LED dimming backlights for excellent black levels, wide viewing angle LCD IPS panel, accurate color, and 240Hz (120 refresh + scanning backlight) for excellent motion resolution. This LG also has all the tweaks anyone could ask for including ISF CCC mode for calibration, THX certification and LG's "picture wizard" for user set-up without calibration discs or external test signals. The LH90 isn't the thinnest LED LCD, but it more than makes up for it with its price.

The LG LH90 series is available in 42-, 47- and 55-inch screen sizes at street prices that are considerably lower than many competitors' edge lit 120 Hz LED edge lit models. The 42LH90 is online for $1200 to $1500; the 47LH90 sells in the $1700 range; and the 55LH90 goes for $2200 to $2800. In case you couldn't tell, the LH90 series is the value/performance leader of the pack.

Sony XBR8

A comparable model never replaced Sony's 2008 flagship model in 2009. It is the only HDTV available with separate red, green and blue LED backlights (rather than all white), with local dimming for deep black levels. Though slightly thicker than other TVs in its class, the XBR8 has accurate HDTV color, enough brightness for a beach house, a non-glossy anti-glare screen coating (rare for 2009), 120Hz refresh rate and Sony's Bravia Engine 2 signal processing.

You can still find the XBR8s—we spotted the 46-inch KDL-46XBR8 for under $2200 and the 55-inch KDL-55XBR8 for under $4000.

Gary Merson is the HD Guru, the industry's leading HDTV journalist. He's been reviewing TVs for well over a decade, and recently wrote a guide to choosing an HDTV.

To be clear, we're only looking sets that are at least 46 inches—go big or go home. And though there are some nice 720p plasmas out there for amazing prices, the majority of TVs we're concerned with are 1080p—it's the standard now, even in cheap HDTVs, and probably the only resolution you'll see next year.

We focus on LCDs quite a bit here, not because we prefer them, but because there are key enhancements that can be put in LCD technology to make them look better. With plasma, the problems—energy consumption, weight, thickness—are more of an evolutionary, year-to-year thing. A cheaper plasma often is one that's just using older technology.

Also, we're using Amazon as our pricing base line, since it's on average a good standard for low but legitimate street prices, and we use Samsung examples a lot because they have a ton of different models on the market, so it was easier to isolate individual features, and to gauge subtle differences in pricing.

Size Matters

The first, and most obvious thing that'll cost you is more screen real estate. There's not an absolute inches to dollars ratio, but generally speaking, the first step up is the cheapest, and somewhere in the middle, there's a sweet spot, after which you basically lose money by upgrading. The funny thing is, each maker seems to have a different idea of where the sweet spot is, which you could play to your advantage:

Take for instance, Panasonic's plasma G10 series. It's $200 to go from the 42-inch model to 50, and then $400 to go up to 54. So the sweet spot is at 50 inches. Similar thing happening with Vizio's XVT line: Going from 42 to 47 inches is just $250, though going up to 55 from 47 costs about a a grand. Hence 47 inches makes the most dollar-per-inch sense if you like that TV.

With Sony and Samsung, though, it pays to keep going up. In Sony's top-of-the-line Bravia XBR9 series, the hop from 40 to 46 is $360, but going from 46 to 52 is just $250. Samsung's LED-backlit TV costs $350 to go from 40 to 46, and just $500 to go from there to 55 inches. (There's a limit, of course, Samsung's 65-inch LN65B650 doesn't have many of the frills discussed below, but still lists for $6000.)

The real lesson here: Don't think of size as a foregone conclusion. When you've narrowed down your options using all the criteria, go back and check the sizes and relative prices. There may be a surprise, hopefully good but possibly bad.

Vroom, Vroom

Everything after size you can roughly sweep everything you'd pay more for into the category of performance. The grand trick of buying TVs though, according to our friend Gary Merson of HD Guru, is that "the TV industry is setup like the car industry." Just like buying a Corvette to battle your mid-life crisis because it vrooms real good, when you pay extra money for extra horsepower, you're also going to get leather bucket seats and the in-dash GPS. It's hard to buy a stripped-down car that just delivers better performance, and the same goes when you're trying to scrimp on a TV without compromising picture. In the case of TVs, a higher performer might come with a million HDMI jacks or integrated Wi-Fi and video on demand, and you never know exactly what you're paying for.

Fortunately, we can break performance into a two major categories so it's slightly easier to interpret those price differentials: Backlight (for LCDs) and panel quality.

Fancy Backlighting

The single most expensive upgrade for LCD TVs right now is LED backlighting. As we explain here, there are a bunch of advantages to LED over conventional CCFL backlighting for LCD TVs. Which particular advantages you pick up depends on the kind of LED backlighting in the set. While both offer instant on and power savings, edge-lit models mainly deliver serious thinness, while backlit sets can offer local dimming, which delivers noticeably better black levels and contrast.

How much will it cost you? Well, comparing two Samsung sets with fairly equivalent panels, the price difference is about $500. The CCFL-backlit LN46B650 is $1360, while the UN46B6000 is $1850. Because it's got LED edge lighting, the B6000 is only 1.2 inches thick, compared to the B650's 3.1 inches. When you step up and compare Samsung's edge-lit to back-lit, the difference isn't as great: A 46-inch 8000 series edge-lit model goes for $2300, while the 8500 series with local-dimming is $2600. (If you're already paying for LED technology, you definitely want to step up.)

So yes, backlit LED sets with local dimming tend to cost more. Sony's year-old Bravia XBR8 uses tri-color LEDs to improve color accuracy over the most LED sets, which use white ones. Though its production is discontinued, it's still nearly $2200 at 46 inches. However, Toshiba consistently delivers cheaper sets than most of its fellow "name" brands, and their 46-inch LED backlit set with local dimming is just $1700.

Panels and Oh, It Hertz

The panel is the other major thing that determines how good an HDTV actually is, and it applies to both LCDs and plasmas. Typically, as you move up in price, you get a better panel. Cheaper sets generally use older panels with previous-generation tech that Merson says have a poorer viewing angle, so there's a smaller area you can actually stare at on your TV to get a good picture. The problem is that no TV manufacturer actually declares its panel attributes on the box, so you're often on your own to figure it out. The best way is to go to the store and check out the viewing angles.

Hertz, for the uninitiated, is simply the number of times per second that LCD TVs refresh their picture. (Plasma isn't part of this discussion because phosphor pixels work differently than liquid crystal ones, and plasma's "refresh rate" would be way higher—to the point of irrelevance.) A 60Hz LCD refreshes the picture 60 times a second, 120Hz is 120 times a second, and so on, up to 240Hz in the top-priced LCD sets. A higher refresh rate is supposed to increase the ability to see fast-moving video at its highest intended resolution, and works well in theory, though there are issues with 240Hz execution. At this point, a minimum of 120Hz is a given on all premium LCDs, says Merson. There isn't one LED-backlit set that doesn't have it.

Here's how the refresh-rate step-ups look: The 46-inch Samsung B550 is a standard 1080p CCFL-backlit set for $1020. Moving up to the same size B650 for $1360—$300 more—gets you 120Hz (plus a higher contrast ratio). Going up again, to the B750 for $1630, another $300, you get 240Hz, and again even better contrast ratio. That's about the top of Samsung's CCFL-backlit line.

You can see the same thing with their LED sets: The 46-inch B6000 is a 120Hz LED edge-lit set for $1850. The 46-inch LED edgel-lit B8000 goes to 240Hz, and it costs $2300, about $450 more.

What About Plasma?

As we mentioned, plasmas are a little less complicated, since there's nothing like refresh rates to deal with. On the other hand, the situation may be more obtuse, since you don't always know what the real differences are. Merson says there are a few basic levels of plasma performance. On Black Friday, Walmart is selling a 50-inch plasma for $598 if you don't mind the fact that it's 720p (and branded Sanyo, which is probably Panasonic-based but who knows?). Stepping up to the 50" 1080p plasmas will generally cost $300 to $400 more.

There are more issues, however. Panasonic has a new panel called NeoPDP that's more energy efficient, but it's sometimes hard to tell which models have it and which don't. (Hint: Look for the Energy Star sticker.) Finally, you have THX-certified panels that offer nearly perfect calibration right out of the box. Beyond that, contrast ratios do tend to get better over time, but it's relative: At the low end of the HDTV price spectrum, plasma sets have generally delivered better picture than LCD anyway.

Frills and Other Stuff

The funny thing about TVs nowadays is that there's more to them than the screen. Like inputs. Until recently, one thing you got more of by paying more money were more holes to stick things into. That's not really the case once you get up into 46-inch sets—you're gonna get 4 HDMI slots in a set that big no matter what. But, there are other things nowadays. Like video services that come in through other holes, or maybe without wires at all.

An example, to use our old friends at Samsung: The B6000 looks a lot like the B7000, but with the B7000, for $180 more, you get online video services via Yahoo's widget engine, like YouTube.

Or, let's look at the upcoming crop of LED TVs that aren't even out yet, or are in limited distribution for now. LG's 55LHX and Sony's Bravia XBR10 both have wireless HDMI and 240Hz, but with Bravia Internet Widgets and Slacker radio, the Bravia is $5000, $200 more than 55LHX. Wireless HDMI itself is a pretty pricey feature. Same Sony, compared to Samsung's 8500. The 8500 has built-in video services, but no wireless HDMI, and it's $500 cheaper, at $4500. Oh, and did I mention that the Sony is even 3 inches smaller than the Samsung and LG?

Wireless is still in the gimmick phase, but next year, we assume we'll be able to track its price premium as well as we can track size, refresh rate, backlighting and other factors today, $300 to $400 at a time. How do you get from $600 to a $6000? You just add, add some more, and then keep adding.

Still something you wanna know? Send questions about addition, subtraction, hertz, aches, pains and LEDs here, with "Giz Explains" in the subject line.

You will learn important lessons like: sizing your TV to optimize resolution, whether to choose LCD vs plasma vs LED and why you don't need to spend money on a 240 Hz TV. So, make sure to check out the following link before you shop. [HDGuru]

AT&T's 3G Network Sees 2,000% Increase Since iPhone 3G Release

In the wake of a big $65 million upgrade to its network here in the San Francisco Bay Area, AT&T revealed that the improvement was due to 3G usage being up 2,000% after the release of the iPhone 3G last year. That sounds like a crazy number for which the iPhone deserves all kinds of high fives, but it's really not surprising—how many AT&T 3G phones were there before the iPhone 3G, even? And of course 3G use across the board is up in crazy numbers, since smartphones have really started taking off in the last year or so—so to be honest, the number doesn't really mean all that much. Hence its ending up here in the sad pit of Remainders. [All Things D]

Droid Camera Fixed, Without Explanation?

The Motorola Droid camera is a serious problem. I can't compete with Matt's angry poetry on the subject, so here it is, clipped from his review:

The camera is complete garbage. It takes 10 years to start up, 2 to focus, and another 4 to actually take the goddamn picture. And there's no distinct visual feedback to let you know a photo's been snapped. And the photos suck. That pumpkin shot, in decent lighting, is as good as it gets. Like I said in the Android 2.0 review, I don't know if it's the hardware or the software, but it's inexcusably bad.

Yow. But users have spontaneously been reporting that the camera, all of a sudden, has stopped sucking—what's the deal? Apparently there was some kind of bug wherein a particular state of the clock (meaning, time of day) screws with the Droid's autofocusing, which sounds insane to me, but what do I know? Apparently it should work okay now, and while it's temporary, the incoming Dec. 11th bug fix should take care of things. [Electronista]

Genius Bar App Won't Help if Your iPhone Is Broken

Rumor has it that Apple is planning to add a Genius Bar app to the App Store (appappappapp) that will let you make appointments, track your place in line, and curse the world when you realize you can't use the app because your iPhone is broken, which is the whole reason you need to make the appointment in the first place. Catch 22 apps are the very best kind of apps. [TUAW]

Samsung Beats out Vizio for Top LCD Seller

I bet you've been waiting by your computer, eager to see who managed to eke out the top spot in the LCD sales wars this fiscal quarter. Will it be Vizio, the low-priced upstart who took the LCD world by storm? Or Samsung, the crafty veteran with the quality sets and sleek design? Looks like this quarter, Samsung took the prize—and it's in Remainders because honestly who cares, at all. [CrunchGear]

They have also significantly upped the price to $18,700—and that's just for the TV, stand and center speaker. Of course, just because you can afford a TV like this doesn't mean you should. Consider the following blurb from the press release:

BeoVision 7-55 integrates the sophisticated Bang & Olufsen BeoSystem 3 video engine, which delivers superior signal processing due to the VisionClear package of picture improvement technologies. In addition, Bang & Olufsen has included double frame rate technology, also known as 120 Hz, with motion compensation and progressive scanning backlight. These technologies significantly reduce the inherent blur typical of LCD screens. With BeoVision 7-55 the picture is clear and sharp even during fast-moving scene

Just the other day we were considering the issue of motion blur in LCDs and how the problem has been all but eliminated in most mid to high end sets. Who knows how much they tacked on to the price tag by exaggerating the importance of technology that probably doesn't do any better than an LCD you bought for a fraction of the price. I mean it's a good looking piece of equipment, but it's not worth all that money just because it looks cool and it was made in Denmark. [Bang & Olufsen via PR Newswire]

This 4-food deep naffness is indeed the world's largest and tackiest bathtub, needing 6,340 gallons (24,000 liters) of water. It has sauna boxes—whatever that means—LCD screens, jacuzzi area, and built-in showers. All that is fine, but can I lift it up to the top of the Mont Blanc? I didn't think so. [Luxury Launches]

Features of the Nook include a wireless connection to download books from the retailer's online e-bookstore and an e-paper display from E-Ink Corp. that is separate from the color controls.

The only discrepancy we've found with our original story is that B&N was not priced lower than the Kindle, as our sources said it might be. It's tied at $259. But given the lending feature and color screen, a price match may be more than enough to compete with.

They also reveal the name as "Nook". It's kind of a dumb name. [WSJ via Engadget]

The Barnes and Nobles e-reader project, set to be revealed next week, has been under development for years, with several devices of varying size and capability in the pipeline. First rumors said it would have a color e-ink screen. Then people said it didn't. They were both kind of right: The layout will feature a black and white e-ink screen like the Kindle has—and a multitouch display like an iPhone underneath other. Pow!

More hardware details of the Barnes and Noble E-Ink/LCD reader here:

What's interesting is that B&N will sell the books it also publishes (yes, remember, they are also a publisher and not just a store) at a deep discount compared to print editions. And the device will have some sort of access to all books scanned by the Google Books project; probably books that are out of print.

The name of the gadget, which I cannot reveal and may have changed anyhow, is freaking terrible. I hope they change it before it ships. Oh and yeah, it runs Android.

The video was shot by IntoMobile. As they describe it, the tech sounds like a massive DLP chip—that is, a panel covered with tiny reflective mirrors. Each mirror can change color but it's a passive screen, with no backlight (like most LCDs) and no self-illumination (a la OLED). They get lit up by whatever light is in the room. Saving energy is the key here—anytime you eliminate a light source, you cut way down on the juice. No word on when this will appear on devices, but it's Qualcomm, so you can bet there will at least be some experimental products before too long.

Speaking of experimental products, Time's Josh Quittner points out, on his blog, that several of Qualcomm's components could go together to make a formidable ebook device. Besides this screen, they've got the multi-network mobile chipset (Gobi), a respectable mobile CPU (Snapdragon), and a powerful media delivery system (MediaFLO). Forget the Kindle—who needs Amazon? Oh right, books. [IntoMobile via Netly]

It should be noted, all designs require glasses. (More technical background on the types of glasses here.)

Panasonic's 3D Plasma Concept
The Tech: Plasma with Active Shutter (alternating left eye, right eye progressive frames)
As a baseline reference to get our bearings, I took yet another look at Panasonic's 103-inch plasma display that we've seen twice before. My original impressions stand. It's decent—and definitely the best technology of the three that we saw at CEDIA. Why? There's virtually no flicker in the image because of plasma's instantaneous response times/ability to push legitimate high frame rates. Plus, it probably helps that we're talking about a 103-inch display (that has its own trailer). The bigger a 3D display, the better the illusion. But glasses aside, it's not what I'd deem a perfect experience. You see ghosting around some objects. And...OK, I still can't ignore the damned glasses. It creates an inherent distance from the image inducing an unintentionally ephemeral viewing experience.

Sony's LCD Concept
The Tech: 240Hz LCD with Active Shutter (alternating left eye, right eye progressive frames)
Even Panasonic will tell you that 240Hz is the baseline speed needed for an LCD to pull off 3D. But you know what? 240Hz isn't enough. Watching Pixar's Up, the color and sharpness are both great, but there's an absurd level of flicker that's nominally better than on old timey crank projector. And on this normal-sized LCD, it's incredibly obvious when 3D objects break the illusion by reaching the TV's frame. Granted, we're not talking about a final product here, but the specs seem pretty much identical to what consumers can expect to see in the high-end display market next year.

JVC's GD-463D10 LCD
The Tech: Polarized filter (two images are interlaced on the screen, each eye sees half the data, glasses don't need power)
Of the three technologies here, JVC's is the only final product that's actually available now. And it costs $9,153. It's also easily the worst of the three—completely unwatchable, in fact. The interlaced 3D means that the resolution takes a huge hit. But it's worse than just a 1080i picture. Your brain can almost make out these lines. I could say more about the tech, but I honestly couldn't stand to look at the screen for more than 10 seconds at once. Oh, and the kicker? For nine thousand bucks, you still only get two pairs of the cheap, polarized glasses. Sorry kids, Mommy and Daddy are watching TV tonight.

There's no doubt that some home theater enthusiasts will go out and plop down $5k or more on a commercially available 3D display when they enter the TV lines of major manufacturers like Sony and Panasonic in 2010. But I'm hoping, really hoping, that the public can resist the gimmick until the technology is perfected. To me, that means when we don't need to deal with these silly glasses at all. But for whatever it's worth, plasma is definitely looking like the clear front runner in execution. [Image]

On the left, the recently announced Toshiba SV670, a locally dimmed LED LCD. On the right, Toshiba's last gen, CCFL LCD display (click image for full size pop-up). Both were promised to be configured with the default "sports" settings—no special engineer tweaking.

Local dimming is one of the catchwords of CEDIA—the US's big home theater trade show. It's basically when a backlit LED display completely turns off backlighting in the dark parts of the image, pretty much making black as black as it can be.

Seeing Toshiba's side-by-side, the TVs produced pretty much identical images in terms of color, sharpness and dark details. But the blacks were way blacker, even when the lights in the room were turned on. And the difference is even more pronounced in person.

In other words, from Toshiba or any other company, this what "local dimming" really means when you read it on a spec sheet. The more you know, kids!

And with a 4000:1 contrast ratio along with a 90 percent of Adobe RGB color gamut, the picture should be pretty great, too, fed into 2 HDMI inputs along with a VGA if you'd prefer.

Of course, there's always a catch.

For one, we don't know the resolution beyond that it's "exceptionally high." That could mean 1080P. That could mean 4-bajillion-K. That could mean...you know, it's not defined. Plus, it's $3,000 this November. I'm can't know the precise amount of satisfaction you receive after inviting friends into your office only to turn your monitor on its side so that your guests can pretend to ooh and ahh at your extravagance, but it can't be better than what $3,000 can buy you in the recreational chemical and escort industries. Trust me.

JVC Announces Super Slim & Light Flat Panel Monitor

32-inch LED backlit monitor measures just ¼-inch deep

ATLANTA, September 10, 2009 – JVC today announced a super slim LCD monitor for home theater use that measures a mere ¼-inch (6.4mm) deep across most of the panel and weighs just 12.5 pounds (5.7kg). The new 32-inch class LT-32WX50 will be available in the U.S. in November.

The new monitor's super slim profile is made possible by the use of JVC's edge LED backlighting system.
It offers a 4000:1 contrast ratio and wide color gamut for exceptionally high resolution of both video and still images.

The monitor's shallow depth makes it ideal for consumers who want the design flexibility such a slim design allows. It also lends itself to a variety of commercial applications. Another attribute is that fewer material resources are used in making the monitor, reducing the product's environmental impact.

Key features of the LT-32WX50 are:
• Taking advantage of JVC's unique LCD panel edged-light LED backlight system, the LT-32WX50 is stunningly thin - just 1/4-inch* (6.4mm) deep at its thinnest point, with a slim module inset along the bottom third that houses the monitor's inputs and other connections;
• Six picture settings: home, retail, movie, monitor, SLR photo mode, game;
• It covers a wide color gamut – 100 percent of sRGB and 90 percent of Adobe RGB;
• It uses approximately 50 percent fewer material resources and eliminates the use of mercury;
• JVC's high definition picture engine is designed for reproducing both video and still images;
• It includes two HDMI connections along with analog RGB (D-Dub, 15-pin); the display can be controlled externally via RS-232C;

* When measured from the front surface of LCD panel to the rear surface of the cabinet.
The JVC LT-32WX50 will be available in November for less than $3,000.00.

The 3LCD-based 8100 features a contrast ratio of 36,000:1 and a brightness bump to 1800 lumens. It also includes a Dynamic Iris system that allows for frame by frame light control (up to 60 frames per second)—helping to smooth out movies with fast scene changes. Of course, the $1599 price tag doesn't quite compare to the new crop of sub-$1000 1080p projectors that are starting to hit the market, but Epson's 8100 does represent a second tier of affordability with specs that would probably have cost you at least twice as much a year ago. Of course the game is about more than just impressive contrast ratios, but even without a review these shrinking price points are encouraging. Expect the 8100 to arrive sometime in late October along with a $100 rebate offer that would bring the price down to $1499.

Epson Adds Two High-Performance 1080P Projectors to
Award-Winning Home Theater Lineup

Feature-Packed PowerLite Home Cinema 8100 and 8500 UB Offer Home Theater Enthusiasts Unsurpassed Image Quality and Affordability

ATLANTA (CEDIA Expo 2009, Booth 3353) – Sept. 8, 2009 – Epson America today announced two 1080p front projectors, the PowerLite® Home Cinema 8100 and 8500 UB, expanding its award-winning line of 3LCD™ home theater projectors. Featuring D7 technology for brilliant color and detail, and higher contrast, the Home Cinema 8100 reaches a 36,000:1 dynamic contrast ratio and the Home Cinema 8500 UB achieves an unprecedented 200,000:11. The Home Cinema 8100 and 8500 UB also offer the latest in real color reproduction capabilities for more natural and precise colors, delivering an outstanding viewing experience for home entertainment and AV enthusiasts.

With pricing of $1,599 (plus an additional $100 rebate at launch) and sub-$3,000, respectively, the Home Cinema 8100 and 8500 UB offer consumers affordable high-definition 3LCD home entertainment, delivering bright and natural color, crisp image detail, and unsurpassed light efficiency and reliability. These 3LCD projectors use an advanced, three-chip optical engine for brilliant color and image quality without the possibility of color break-up, unlike DLP projectors that generate images using a spinning color wheel with a white segment.

"Epson is committed to leading the market when it comes to home theater performance and value," said Marge Ang, senior product manager, Epson America. "These new models take advantage of Epson's latest technology to offer consumers the highest-performing1080p solutions available at their respective price points."

Epson Home Cinema 8100
The value-packed Home Cinema 8100 features an improved contrast ratio of up to 36,000:1 (double that of previous models) and higher brightness – 1,800 lumens color and white light output - for outstanding image quality in dark or lighted rooms. The projector's exclusive Dynamic Iris system contributes to the dramatic contrast improvement, allowing light to be controlled on a frame-by-frame basis at up to 60 times per second, making it ideal for fast-action movies with frequent scene changes. Designed for home entertainment and AV enthusiasts on a budget, this projector offers high-quality home entertainment for enjoying movies, video games, sports, and more.

Epson Home Cinema 8500 UB
Along with the latest D7 chip set, this high-quality projector adds Epson's C2Fine® and UltraBlack™ technology for superb black levels and vivid images. Further boosting black levels, the Home Cinema 8500 UB includes brightness of 1,600 lumens color and light output and new dual-layered auto iris technology, allowing for an impressive contrast ratio of up to 200,000:1. As a result, the projector controls light intensity more effectively, causing dark images to appear even darker and blacks to appear even richer and deeper.

The projector also features Epson's new Super-resolution™ technology to create a sharper, more detailed picture resolution ideal for broadcast signal noise reduction or enhancing the quality of poor DVD transfers. Super-resolution technology improves the resolution of a blurred image, allowing consumers to fully enjoy high-definition quality at all times. Epson has also added new real color reproduction capabilities, which delivers more natural and precise colors, allowing viewers to experience the true-to-life colors filmmakers intended.

To ensure sharp, clear images, the projector features Epson's 12-bit 3LCD driver technology and a built-in Silicon Optix HQV Reon-VX scaling and de-interlacing video processor. This processor reduces mosquito and block noise and augments multi-level contrast enhancement to further improve picture quality. The Home Cinema 8500 UB also features enhanced FineFrame™ technology resulting in smoother frame interpolation, sharper video quality and the elimination of judder.
Shared Features of the Home Cinema Line – The Home Cinema 8100 and 8500 UB share features designed to improve image quality and total cost of 3LCD projector ownership, including:

*
Cinema Filter: Delivers larger color space for improved color fidelity.
*
Fujinon OptiCinema™ Multi-Lens Optics System: Projects clean, precise edges with consistent image quality across the entire screen, expanding installation flexibility.
*
Pre-set Color Modes: Features seven color modes (Dynamic, Living Room, Natural, Theatre, Theatre Black 1, Theatre Black 2, x.v.Color) for optimal viewing in any environment.
*
E-TORL® (Epson Twin Optics Reflection Lamp): Provides optimum light uniformity and increased light output for screen sizes larger than ten feet with exclusive 200 watt high efficiency design; uses less energy for up to 4,000 hours of lamp lifeiii.
*
Advanced Dust Filtration System: Ensures efficient power use, reduced cool-down periods, lower fan speeds, quieter operation (only 22 db), and 98 percent efficiency for longer filter life.
*
Input Options: Features two HDMI 1.3a inputs with Deep Color support, high definition component video input, S-video input, composite video input, and VGA-type RGB input (D-sub 15).

Availability and Support
The Epson Home Cinema 8100 will be available in late-October and the Home Cinema 8500 UB will be available in November through authorized Epson projector dealers and select retail outlets, and come with Epson's industry leading service and support. Pricing for the Home Cinema 8500 UB will be released at that time. This includes a two-year limited warranty with access to Epson PrivateLine® priority toll-free support, 90-day limited lamp warranty, and free two-business day exchange with Extra CareSM Home Service.

Epson's Latest 1080P Pro Cinema Projectors Bring Custom Installers High
Performing
PowerLite Pro Cinema 9100 and 9500 UB Offer New Levels of Image Quality, Detail and Performance

ATLANTA (CEDIA Expo 2009, Booth 3353) – Sept. 8, 2009 – Epson America today announced two native 1080p 3LCD™ home theater projectors designed for custom installers and home theater buffs, the PowerLite® Pro Cinema 9100 and 9500 UB. These projectors feature the latest 3LCD chips with D7 technology for amazing color and detail, and significantly higher contrast ratios – the Pro Cinema 9100 achieves a 36,000:1 dynamic contrast ratio and the Pro Cinema 9500 UB attains an unprecedented 200,000:1 in its class . With professional-level color tools including ISF calibration and color isolation, the Pro Cinema 9100 and 9500 UB offer professional installers full-featured solutions.

Available for $2,599 and sub-$4,000 respectively, the Pro Cinema 9100 and 9500 UB offer state-of-the-art image quality and performance in each of their respective categories with enhanced color reproduction capabilities and 3LCD technology to deliver bright and natural color, crisp image detail and reliability. As Epson's flagship home theater model, the Pro Cinema 9500 UB brings several technology enhancements to the market, including a new dual-layered auto-iris to control light reduction rates, Super-resolution™ technology for enhanced picture quality and improved FineFrame™ technology.

"Epson understands the needs of the custom installation channel and is committed to providing high-quality products that meet the needs of dealers in today's competitive market," said Marge Ang, senior product manager, Epson America. "These latest Pro Cinema projectors have been packed with a range of value-add features and technology refinements that allow custom installers to build a customized high-performance, home entertainment system for their discerning customers."

Epson Pro Cinema 9100
The Pro Cinema 9100 offers a high-value, customizable home entertainment experience. The projector includes ISF Day and Night modes for switching between picture modes and lamp output, as well as Epson's Color Isolation system for fine-tuning of color saturation and hue without the need for blue and red optical filters, making set-up and calibration quick and simple. With a contrast ratio of up to 36,000:1 and brightness of 1,800 lumens color and white light output , this projector offers amazing big-screen image quality. Housed in a stylish black and silver design, the Pro Cinema 9100 features an exclusive Dynamic Iris system which contributes to the improvement in contrast. It controls light on a frame-by-frame basis at up to 60 times per second, making it ideal for fast-action movies with frequent scene changes.

Epson Pro Cinema 9500 UB
The flagship Pro Cinema 9500 UB offers custom installers the ultimate in image quality, combining Epson's C2Fine® and UltraBlack™ technology with 3LCD and D7 technology to produce superb black levels and vivid images. The projector also features a dual-layered auto iris to control light reduction rates more effectively, contributing to its astounding contrast ratio – up to 200,000:1. With brightness of 1,600 lumens color and white light output, the projector delivers deeper blacks and crystal clear detail.

Adding to its high-quality performance, the Pro Cinema 9500 UB features Epson's improved FineFrame technology for smoother frame interpolation, sharper video quality and the elimination of judder for viewing sports and fast-action movie scenes, and playing video games. Epson has also added new Super-resolution technology to sharpen blurry images or low-resolution pictures. This new technology is ideal for high-definition content, addressing broadcast signal noise reduction or improving the quality of poor DVD transfers.

The Pro Cinema 9500 UB also features new real color reproduction capabilities for more natural and precise colors, while Epson's 12-bit 3LCD driver technology and a built-in Silicon Optix HQV Reon-VX video processor and PW390 scaler ensure a smoother picture. It also includes pre-set color space selection to set color gamut according to geography and source material, a feature typically found only on high-end high-definition broadcast monitors. And, with an optional external anamorphic lens (available from Epson) and "vertical stretch" picture mode, the Pro Cinema 9500 UB enables anamorphic viewing without an external processor for a full theatrical image – projecting true 2.35:1 and 2.40:1 ultra widescreen images without the black bars above and below the picture.

Shared Features of the Pro Cinema Line – Epson's Pro Cinema projectors share a range of value-add features designed to further enhance performance, image quality and total cost of ownership, including:

*
3LCD Technology: Delivers bright and natural color, amazing detail and road-tested reliability; uses an advanced, 3-chip optical engine for full-time color without the possibility of color break-up.
*
Cinema Filter: Delivers larger color space for improved color fidelity.
*
Fujinon OptiCinema™ Multi-Lens Optics System: Projects clean, precise edges with consistent image quality across the entire screen.
*
E-TORL® (Epson Twin Optics Reflection Lamp): Provides optimum light uniformity and increased light output for screen sizes larger than ten feet with exclusive 200 watt high efficiency design; uses less energy for up to 4,000 hours of lamp life ; both models include a spare lamp.
*
ISF Certification: Allows installers and calibrators to fine-tune picture quality and match output with front projection screens.
*
Input Selections: Features two HDMI 1.3a inputs with Deep Color support, high definition component video input, S-video input, composite video input, and VGA-type RGB input (D-sub 15).
*
Installation Options: Includes ceiling mount, reversible front panel Epson logo for various mounting positions, rear panel cable cover to hide wires and cable hook to ensure connections remain secure.

Availability and Support
Available in October and November respectively, the Pro Cinema 9100 and 9500 UB can be purchased through authorized Epson projector dealers and select retail outlets. Both models come with Epson's industry leading service and support, including a three-year limited warranty with toll-free access to Epson's PrivateLineSM priority technical support, 90-day limited lamp warranty, and free two-business day exchange with Extra CareSM Home Service.

[Epson]

We have no details other than its "talk, text, time" theme and what we can('t) see: the Xperia is a no-frills candybar with a transparent, monochrome LCD screen.

You'll notice that in the video, the black buttons aren't even labeled with numbers. I actually prefer this absurdly minimal design to the still product render, however impractical, as it takes a phone designed purely to be striking and makes it even more striking.

The Pureness will be available in unspecified but select cities this November. And while I can resist the gimmick this time around, the first 100% transparent phone, no matter how crappy it may be, will be rewarded with my highly sought $300 w/ 2-year contract. [Sony Ericsson via unwired view via MobileCrunch]

This leak is all according to an unnamed source, so don't get too worked up, but supposedly Sony is set to announce the product at next week's IFA in Berlin. Panasonic has already committed to work on 3D TVs, but Sony could still be the first to get a product out the door. We'll have to wait until next week to find out if there's any truth to the rumor. [Wall Street Journal]

A whopping 33 HDTV models are on sale in the August 30th circular, including $1100 off several high-end Samsung LCDs. There are some nice Blu-Ray and stereo packages as well, sometimes up to $1500 off the regular price.

Apparently the start of football season is also the start of the big-screen buying season, although we wonder what Best Buy'll have to cut come Black Friday. Still, if you're in the market for a giant TV, next week might be the time to make the plunge. [HDGuru]