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HDTV News: The Digital Television Group, a consortium of key broadcasters and manufacturers, is concerned about Ofcom’s plans for high definition TV on the Freeview platform.When the analogue signal switch-off is completed in 2012, Ofcom plans to auction the spectrum for other uses, with HDTV confined to the existing Freeview bandwidth.

HDTV would use MPEG4 compression technology and the DVB-T2 broadcasting standard which is still under development. This would mean that consumers would need to purchase new receiver equipment.

The Digital Television Group believes that this plan is likely to fail and could undermine the future of terrestrial TV.

The group is concerned that the plan places too much faith in the DVB-T2 standard, which has yet to be proved. It wants the spectrum to be available for HD transmissions from at least the five main terrestrial channels.

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Forbes: Just 30 minutes. That’s about all the time it takes to go through these steps to ensure that the HDTV you just spent a bundle to buy will look its best. HDTVs are the divas of the television world–they require a little more effort and interaction to get things working right than an older TV–but the payoff is worth it…

• Dump the old cables: Make sure you’re connecting your HDTV to the cable or satellite signal using HDMI or component cables.
• Don’t overpay for new cables
• Fuss over your picture settings: The HDTV you take out of the box is configured to look good in a store display, not a living room.
• Fine-tune the colors: If the color of your HDTV’s picture seems to lack punch or skin tones and lighting appears unnaturally bluish, you’ll want to explore your TV’s color settings.
• Don’t stretch the picture: When watching a standard-definition TV show, don’t stretch the square image to fit the wide HD screen.
• Watch that zoom: Zooming is akin to stretching. It adjusts a standard-definition TV so that it fits the HD widescreen, but does so without distorting the image like stretching does.
• Upscaling your DVD player: To get the most from your standard DVD collection, you need an “up-scaling” DVD player, one that adjusts the video signal to fit the extra pixels present on the HDTV.
• Adjust the lighting: Proper placement of your HDTV to avoid conflicts with lighting is crucial.
• Cut out the rainbows: DLP rear-projection televisions use a spinning color wheel to give pictures their true hues. This technology sometime causes a subtle yet distracting rainbow that trails bright objects.

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vnunet: The Sirius 4 communications satellite is now in full operation and has taken over all transmissions from its predecessors, Sirius 2 and Sirius 3.

The satellite was launched by SES Sirius on 18 November 2007, since when all operations have gone according to plan.

“The demand for HD channels will increase sharply in the years ahead, and operators need to be prepared in terms of capacity,” said Hakan Sjodin, managing director of SES Sirius.

Sjodin explained that an HD TV broadcast requires 16Mbps of bandwidth, compared with 4Mbps for a standard definition broadcast.

Sirius 4 is intended to meet the increased demand for HDTV broadcasts in the Nordic countries, and the increase in new television channels within eastern Europe.
The satellite was built by Lockheed Martin in California and is controlled from the Swedish Space Corporation’s satellite control station at Esrange in Kiruna, which ensures it maintains a geosynchronous orbit at 4.8 degrees east.

In this position the satellite covers virtually the whole of Europe, but the focus is on the Nordic region, Baltic States and central and eastern Europe. However, it also has the capacity to reach southern Africa.

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HDTV News: With the long lasting LED light engine of the Samsung HL-T5687S DLP HDTV, its Full HD (1920 x 1080p) picture will last for a very long time. An ultra-thin, piano-black bezel around the 56″ (142cm) screen lets you enjoy more screen and less frame. Its slim depth, light weight and hidden speaker system allow the set to fit through tight spaces and ideal for any home entertainment systems.Samsung’s Cinema Smooth light engine delivers the widest range of brilliant colors, while a 10,000:1 dynamic contrast ratio renders every picture in perfect detail, from the darkest darks to brightest whites, and every tone in between. SRS TruSurround XT delivers sound that is clear and full.

This TV is equipped with three HDMI inputs in version 1.3 that will render your digital movies, photos and more with greater color depth, while a USB 1.1 port and other inputs allow full connectivity. Game Mode optimizes performance, so avid gamers will marvel at the lifelike action. And even with all these advanced features, the HLT5687S is remarkably energy-efficient.

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CFP: Prepare for your electronics to be assimilated.

No, it isn’t some Borg-like alien invasion you need to worry about. Rather, it’s the accelerating convergence of all your audio, video and computer stuff from separate technological niches into an organized whole in which all of your techno toys can talk – and work – with each other.

It’s a logical development. Everything is becoming computerized and computerization is driving convergence: TV’s can now interface with computers, computers can play movies and the Personal Video Recorder (PVR, a.k.a.  DVR – Digital Video Recorder) uses computer-type hard disk drives to bring incredible new flexibility to watching and recording TV (think of it as the VCR dragged into the 21st century).

And they’re all being tied together by computer networks, which means you can now store your audio and video libraries on a central server and play them back anywhere you want.

Why would you want to? Well, many people have multiple televisions throughout the house – from a big screen HDTV in the family room to a little LCD on the kitchen wall (for those emergency trips to the fridge while the Big Game is on) and maybe even a screen in the master bedroom. Many people have more than one computer, and more than one audio system. Tying them all together adds flexibility and convenience, allowing access to one’s A/V library, and even the Internet, from anywhere in the building.

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HDTV News: JVC has launched the LH905-series of HDTVs, featuring the Genessa Premium 36-bit video engine.The LH905 TVs feature a full HD 1,920 x 1,080 resolution LCD panel in all three of the 37in (94cm), 42in (107cm) and 47in (119cm) models, Deep Colour support, and an Ethernet port with DLNA support which allows the TVs to play media from a compatible network device.

Other features include dual ten-watt speakers, a built-in analog / digital terrestrial tuner, three HDMI 1.3 ports and an integrated SD slot.

JVC’s LH905-series TVs are scheduled for release in February.

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Slashgear: It’s an HD network multimedia play that is also a PVR and HDTV Tuner. It can playback HD content from its hard drive, USB ports, or from any computer connected to it via the local area network.

You can also record HDTV from OTA sources with this thing. Also, the advanced DVD play back allows you to rip the DVDs into .ISO or .IFO disc images and play them back just like the original DVD with menus and everything.

It has 3xUSB, HDMI, Optical, S-Video, 2xCoax, Ethernet, Component, Stereo RCA, Multi I/O, and AC in ports, some of those are outputs though. Sadly the HDTV tuner is a separate attachment, but it just clips onto the bottom maintaining the trash can form factor if you buy one.

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Engadget: iPod surround bars are nothing new, but iLive’s hoping to catch a few eyes that normally gloss over these type things by blessing its iT188B. This iteration sports “dual built-in subwoofers,” an AM / FM radio, obligatory iPod dock and an on board clock to boot. It also comes bundled with a remote control and an auxiliary input to complement the twin video inputs, video output and subwoofer out for connecting an external thumper.

As you’d expect, this one’s built for use underneath a flat-panel HDTV, but it shouldn’t have any problems perched up on a countertop, either. You already know how badly this one’s gonna hurt your wallet, but at least you’ve got until April to save up.

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Switched: In the consumer electronics world, all eyes are focused on the upcoming broadcast switch to a digital signal coming early next year. Why, then, is Japan’s NHK Science and Technical Research Laboratory working so hard to develop the next video format, a “super” high definition format called Super Hi-Vision? Isn’t it enough that we’re all going to be viewing programming of startling video quality and clarity on HDTVs soon?

Apparently there’s still room for improvement, although don’t expect to see Super Hi-Vision TV sets in living rooms anytime soon. The first commercial applications likely won’t come about until 2025 — and even then the first likely use will be in art museums for showing works of art.

According to a report today from the BBC News, the new format has a screen resolution of 7680×4320 pixels, which is 16 times greater than current HD. The smallest diagonal TV size on which Super Hi-Vision can be employed is 50 inches.

This begs the question, then: Can the human eye even tell the difference between resolution of 1080p (the best available within the current high definition format) and this next leap in video technology?

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HDTV News: Feast your eyes with the gigantic 1080p Full HD resolution and brilliant sound of the Samsung HLT6176S. This 0.8-inch thin piano-black bezeled TV comes in with hidden speaker system that lets you enjoy more screen and less frame. At a mere 12.3 inches deep, the 61″ DLP HDTV fits where others won’t. Enjoy the crisp definition and bright imagery of Samsung’s Cinema Smooth 1080p Light Engine; a phenomenal 10,000:1 dynamic contrast ratio delivers the full range of vivid colors, bright whites, deep blacks, and nuanced tones.

SRS TruSurround XT audio fills the room with clear, robust sound. Fast, 16 micro-second switching speed virtually eliminates motion blur. Game Mode optimizes performance so gamers will marvel at the lifelike action. Full digital connectivity with three HDMI ports allows digital connectivity to Cable/Satellite boxes, Blu-ray players, AV receivers, and more.

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HDTV News: Korean manufacturer, LG, plans to focus on three main technological areas of development in 2008 – super slim 1.7in (4,3cm) LCD, wireless HDTV, and new LED backlighting technology.The elegant LG75 series will be launched in 2008, featuring a 1.7in (4,3cm), super-slim design, and a high-gloss black finish with a unique rose red tint.

The LG75’s LED backlight is partitioned into 128 light-emitting diodes. This allows local dimming to reach quickly to changing images, providing reduced energy consumption.

Other features of the LG75 include Full HD, TruMotion 120Hz technology, backlight technology, wireless connectivity, Dynamic Contrast Ratio of 1,000,000:1, 24p TruCinema, 4 HDMI inputs (v1.3), Deep Colour, and a USB 2.0 jack for viewing JPEG photos or listening to MP3 music files.

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Connected Home: HP will be adding the HP MediaSmart Receiver, a new wireless digital media receiver (DMR), to its family of MediaSmart Connected Entertainment solutions. The new product promises to transform any HDTV into a next-generation connected TV, letting you enjoy photos, music, movies, and videos—wired or wirelessly—from multiple PCs around the home to the “big screen” in the heart of the home.The MediaSmart Receiver, which works with Microsoft Vista and XP PCs, has a stylish, high-gloss, piano-black finish. The product features advanced network connectivity, including 802.11a/b/g/n, three embedded antennae, and compatibility with other UPnP- and DLNA-compliant devices such as the HP MediaSmart Server. The device is also DivX certified, demonstrating interoperability across a range of digital devices.

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