January 7th, 2010 
Chance Stevens 
It’s Thursday which means that it’s time for another Best Buy ad scan to show up. This time the ad scan is for the week of 1/10 – 16. The 1/10 Best Buy ad scan has a lot of deals, but it looks like prices have remained pretty stable on HDTVs since last week.
You can check it out for yourself here.
November 29th, 2009 Chance Stevens 
One of the age old questions when deciding to buy a television is LCD or Plasma. In this debate one of the things to help decide comes down to viewing angle. This means that when you aren’t looking directly at the set, the picture is still able to be seen.
It turns out that when it comes LCD HDTVs, there are major differences when it comes to different brands and even different models within the same manufacturer. Some televisions boast 175 or 178 degree angle but the real definition is when you actually sit and watch it.
According to Consumer Reports, the best test is the couch test:
Stand 4 or 5 feet away from a 40- to 50-inch TV and move several feet to the left or right of center. That’s comparable to sitting at the end of a couch in front of the TV. See if the images start to look more faded, if the screen darkens a bit, or if the colors lose vibrancy. Move a little farther away from center to see what the picture would look like from a chair off to the side of the couch.
This phenomenon doesn’t exist when it comes to plasma televisions which gives it an advantage. There are issues with burn-in when it comes to plasmas but if you decide to buy one, make sure you know how to properly break it in.
Posted in Articles, LCD HDTVs, Plasma HDTVs 
Tags: hdtv viewing angle, tv viewing angle 
No Comments » November 18th, 2009 Chance Stevens Sony and Sharp just can’t let Samsung enjoy itself. The two companies have come out to reiterate that they will be working together on some exciting backlight technologies. The goal is to share the costs to innovate and research in this department with the goal being televisions which are brighter, use less energy, and are able to be thinner.
It may be until mid-2011 before any benefits are seen from this partnership but using CCFL backlighting is a thing of the past with newer LCD television using as many LED backlights as possible. This kind of development means that the price point on these televisions should get closer to $1,000 as more and more manufacturers join in with their own product lines.
Source: Reuters
November 18th, 2009 Chance Stevens 3M’s optical systems division has launched a consumer-awareness campaign to raise attention to household TV energy consumption and what to consider when purchasing an energy-efficient TV.
3M, which manufactures Vikuiti filter films used in some LCD TV panels to improve brightness, contrast and black level performance, among other things, is reminding consumers that as screen sizes get larger and consumers watch more television, energy consumption can increase.
The company pointed to a recent study that showed that with an average of two or more TVs per household turned on for a combined average of 8.2 hours per day, U.S. household TV energy consumption is expected to equal or surpass the amount of energy used to power refrigerators.
3M said the figure could double by 2030. 3M is telling consumers that the simplest way to look for an energy-efficient TV is to visit theEnergy Star Web site and review the estimated annual power consumption for the TV set sizes consumers are interested in and look for the Energy Star label in stores.
“In the U.S., consumers lack awareness and knowledge about advancements in TV energy efficiency, and how the decisions they make when shopping for a new TV could greatly reduce their power bills and leave less of a carbon footprint on our planet. Moreover, it’s also difficult for consumers to determine which TVs are the most energy efficient,” stated Jim Bauman, 3M optical systems division VP. “Fortunately, today there is a wide range of energy efficient TV technologies available, allowing consumers to reduce energy consumption in their TVs without sacrificing picture quality.”
[Article reproduced in entirety from Twice.com]
November 18th, 2009 Chance Stevens 
Vizio and Samsung have been fighting a heated battle for bragging rights in the LCD HDTV category. Vizio has used lots of commercials touting themselves as the number 1 LCD HDTV company and they were right due to low prices and ties with Walmart to help push their sets.
Samsung, on the back of their LUXIA LED backlit LCD HDTVs has finally gotten the push it needed to surpass Vizio in this highly coveted category. According to industry tracker iSuppli:
The South Korean electronics giant shipped 1.3 million LCD-TVs in the United States during the period from July through September, equaling a 16.8 percent share of the market. This gave Samsung a 1.1 percentage point lead over U.S.-based Vizio, which held a 15.7 percent share in the third quarter with shipments of 1.2 million LCD-TVs.
The last time Samsung held the top spot in the U.S. LCD-TV market was in the fourth quarter of 2008. Vizio in the first and second quarters of 2009 took the lead in the United States as consumers warmed to its low-cost, full-featured sets sold through high-volume retailers like Wal-Mart. However, Samsung in the second quarter began to regain momentum and increase its market share as the company focused on advanced LED-backlit LCD-TVs and reduced prices for its high-end sets.
When it comes to Q4 and into 2010, Samsung should be able to hold onto the crown. They are coming out strong this holiday season with their own deals on low priced televisions from retailers such as Sears. Once CES 2010 arrives and new models get announced Samsung will have even more artillery to make sure t hey keep their new number 1 spot.
[Ed - please note that you can find Samsung TV parts, and Vizio TV parts at our partner site, TVlampsnbulbs.com]
Source: Crunchgear
Source: iSuppli
