Digital Trends
Sony’s new online service connecting the whole range of its gadgets to downloadable content like movies and games should help build brand loyalty, a top executive said Friday.
Executive Vice President Kazuo Hirai said the service, set for launch next year, highlights an advantage that Sony has over rivals like Samsung Electronics Co. and other manufacturers that don’t produce their own content. Sony’s business empire spans gaming, electronics, movies and music.
Perhaps it’s an anomaly, but perhaps it’s a sign of things to come: Scottish high-end audio gear maker Linn has announced that, as of 2010, it will no longer manufacturer CD players. Instead, the company will focus its efforts on digital streaming systems that focus on “Studio Master Quality” downloadable material, which can be offered at substantially higher bitrates and resolutions than the CD-standard 16-bit, 44.1KHz samples used in compact discs.
The company will continue to support its existing CD players and audio systems, so current customers need not worry. And that’s probably a good thing, since the company’s current CD player has a retail price in the neighborhood $6,600.
The state of California often leads the rest of the United States on environmentally-conscious regulation and legislation, perhaps most notably with a long-term effort to reign in motor vehicle emissions. Now, the state has turned its attention to televisions, adopting energy efficiency standards that will be imposed on new televisions starting in January 2011—and then get even tougher in 2013.
“In California, televisions (along with DVRs, DVD players, and cable/satellite boxes) now consume about 10 percent of a home’s electricity,” California Energy Commission members Arthur Rosenfeld and Julia Levin wrote in a statement. ” Increasing sales of flat screen televisions, larger screen sizes, the growing number of TVs per household, and increased daily use of televisions all contribute to greater electricity consumption.”
Finally! Oh Walmart, you sly dog– how patiently we’ve waited for you to reveal your Black Friday deals and savings. Today, about a week before the most epic shopping event of the year, Walmart released its Black Friday ads. The retail giant has been offering weekly deals since late October, but the real savings are being revealed today on Black Friday sites all over the Internet. Walmart.com and Walmart stores may be having different deals, so be sure to check where the sale is. Walmart will be open from 5am until 11pm on November 27th. It’s also good to check your local Walmart’s store hours–some are actually open 24 hours and may have different doorbuster deal times.
Looking for a convenient and wireless way to view your PC’s content on your crisp HDTV? HD semiconductor manufacturer AMIMON may have the connective solution for you. Today, AMIMON introduced its WHDI modules which can be embedded into notebook and netbook PCs for a “seamless” wireless HD connection to your HDTV. Meaning: You can watch Hulu on an actual big screen, rather than the maximized screen size of your laptop.
Market analysis firm iSuppli has released its figures for LCD TV sales in the United States during the third quarter of 2009, finding that South Korea’s Samsung has retaken the top position in sales, accounting for 16.8 percent of the market. The results knock low-cost flatscreen maker Vizio down to the number-two position, with 15.7 percent of the market—but interestingly, Samsung and Vizio remain the only brands with market shares over 10 percent.
Get your Costco card ready because the wholesale retailer unveiled its holiday deals this weekend. Costco released its “26-item Black Friday sale” information and its “20-item Costco.com Holiday sale” information. Costco has two separate sales going on—in store and online—but both are sporting killer deals on electronics. Here’s a sample of Costco’s Black Friday deals and online sales:
Toshiba is one of the larger purveyors of technology gear like computers and TVs. The company has put together a new TV commercial that has to be one of the coolest and most innovative commercials ever seen to show off its REGZA SV LCD TV.
The commercial is called “Space Chair” and follows the journey of a single armchair that is tied to a balloon and lofted to the edge of space at 98,268 feet. The trek to the lofty altitude took 83 minutes and the fall back to Earth took the chair 24 minutes. The tag line is very ingenious — Armchair viewing redefined.
What do you really want for your home theater? We’re guessing awesome surround sound, small and sexy stereo components, plenty of features like Blu-ray built-ins and streaming, and a decently affordable price tag. We gathered up a variety of the top expert rated home theaters systems– so whether you prefer full-sized speakers or a slim do-it-all soundbar, this is the list for you.
Most home theater experts have praised Blu-ray as being the only high-quality form for home movie viewing. Luckily, with the price of Blu-ray players dropping, Blu-ray disc price points are falling as well, making all of these following Blu-ray movie suggestions a budget-friendly purchase possibility for the holiday season. Check out our Best Blu-ray players guide as well.
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