Epson today announced it released two complete home entertainment systems, with the Ensemble HD 720 and Ensemble HD 1080 systems. As the product names suggest, the projectors are the main difference between the two packages, with the former capable of 720p (1280×720) HD images, the latter of 1920×1080 (1080p) resolution video. Other components part of each system include an audio/video source unit that doubles as an upconverting DVD player and a 150-Watt Atlantic Technology 5.1-channel surround sound system with a 10-inch subwoofer. The A/V receiver / DVD player has two HDMI inputs, with the surround speakers integrated into a custom cradle that holds the projector. The front-channel speakers are integrated in the screen’s hide-away housing. A universal remote with LCD screen is preprogrammed and controls all aspects of the systems, including the operation of the motorized screen.

The Ensemble HD 1080 system is priced at $6,999, while the HD 720 setup can be purchased for $4,999.

During last Computex in Taiwan, Acer introduced its latest Full HD 16: 9 ratio screen , the P224W. The new monitor of 24” is in 1920×1080 resolution, offers a dynamic contrast ratio of 20000: 1, a gray-to-gray response in time to 2ms and is equipped with an HDMI input. We don’t have further information at the moment, especially concerning the price, availability, and other specs.

BenQ released its 24-inch high-end monitor ‘V2400W’ in Japan market, which features 24mm thickness.Sold in Japan for 371€ the new LCD feature an DVI-D HDCP connector as well as an HDMI one and D-SUB one. With a “slim” body (24mm) our LCD has a contrast ratio of 1000:1 and a brightness of 250cd/m2.

This V2400W is far to have stunning performances (on the paper) but does have a great design.

LG rolled out the world’s slimmest LCD TV ‘Scarlet Super Slim(model: 42LG61)’ featuring 44.7mm thickness.Featuring full HD 1080p resolution with 120Hz technology, the Scarlet Super Slim supports 600,000:1 contrast ratio and four HDMI ports. LG has also implemented an energy saving ‘Green EYEQ’ that reduces power consumption by up to 60%. Suggested price is around 2,500,000(KRW).

Whether you’re into movies on Blu-ray Disc™, enjoying the latest PLAYSTATION®3 games or watching HD broadcasts, the BRAVIA™ V4500 series matches superb picture quality with smart features for a home entertainment experience like no other.

The V4500 series showcases Sony’s innovative new draw the LINE design concept. This beautifully inspired, pared-down styling philosophy enhances the total TV viewing experience without distracting from what’s on the screen. Accented by a dark silver speaker, the set’s deep piano black finish creates an effortlessly contemporary look to flatter any living space. 26-inch, 32-inch and 37-inch models all feature a swivelling stand for comfortable viewing from wherever you’re sitting in the room.Read the full press release

Dao Korea announced the launch of its high-glossy full HD LCD monitor ‘Matrix-NEO’ in Korea market, which supports 7000:1 dynamic contrast ratio.

Scheduled to be released on May 1st, the Matrix-NEP comes in 17-, 19-, 20-, 22-, and 24-inch.

The Shuttle XPC G5 6801M HTPC looks to be a great solution for European’s sucked into the now legendary HD DVD marketing ploy. Boasting an LG GGC-H20L Blu-ray/HD DVD Combo optical drive, the Shuttle will playback the boatload of HD DVD’s you mistakenly bought before the HD disc format went deadpool. Also featuring an AMD Athlon X2 6000+ processor and 500GB of hard disk space, Shuttle says its new HTPC is “ideal for fluid playback” of HD content. The Shuttle XPC G5 6801M HTPC uses the Windows Vista Home Premium OS and has both DVB-T and analog tuners, as well as wireless LAN and 8 channel audio.

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Buffalo Technology has announced the general availability of its LinkTheater HD media streamers, which were previously only available in Japan.The Buffalo LT-H90LAN HD media streamer uses an Ethernet connection to stream media around the home from PCs, Macs, USB hard drives and DNLA compliant media servers, allowing content to be played back on a living room HDTV or stereo system. The wireless version, the Buffalo LT-H90WN, has not yet been released.

The Buffalo LT-H90LAN features an HDMI output, built-in USB 2.0 and 1.1 port, 10/100 LAN port, analog audio/video connectors, D4/component video connectors and optical audio connectors.

It can stream and output 720p and 1080i HD video, and also 480i and 480p. It supports the H.264 (MPEG4 AVC), WMV9, MPEG-1, MPEG-2, MPEG-4, XviD, AVI, HDV, and AVCHD video formats; many audio formats including, WMA, MP3, Dolby Digital (AC3), AAC-LC, AAC-HE; and the usual image formats.

The Buffalo LT-H90LAN is priced at £99 and should be available this month.

Taiwan display maker AU Optronics today revealed what it says is the world’s first truly wide-aspect, full HD 24-inch flat-panel display. The LCD adopts the same 16:9 ratio of many HDTVs and is capable of a native 1080p resolution. While shorter than the 1920×1200 resolution of existing 24-inch computer screens, the wider display makes it better-suited to widescreen movies with the image filling more of the available space. The new design is also half as thick as the taller displays: where a conventional display would measure 1.38 inches deep, the new implementation is just 0.55 inches. Combined with a narrow bezel, this allows a same-size display in a much smaller space.

The new 24-inch example continues to be lit by cold-cathode fluorescent light (CCFL) rather than the more efficient LED but consumes roughly half the power of other screens in the class without sacrificing its 1,000:1 contrast ratio or 300-nit brightness, both of which put it on par with other recent 24-inch LCDs.

Sony expects to launch its full HD TV ‘BRAVIA V1 Series’ with 120Hz MotionFlow technology in Japan market.

Equipped with Bravia Engine, the V1 Series supports 3,000:1 contrast ratio, 1,920 x 1,080 resolution and 24p True Cinema for viewing in accurate cinema experience. Adopting two HDMI ports it comes with three different sizes including 52-,46-,40-inch. It is expected to be available on April 25th.