Panasonic DMP-BD55K BD-Live Blu-ray Player Up For Pre-Order at Amazon.

The BD-Live player adds 7.1 lossless decoding and analog output to similar functionality to the DMP-BD50, and at $400 it has an entry price point similar to our fave Blu-ray player, the PS3. Which is course still has WAY more features and is undoubtedly a better bargain.

Slingbox PRO-HD is now shipping in the United States, and headed for Canada in October. First announced way back in January, the PRO-HD can stream HD content from your HDTV to laptop/desktop computers in and around your home. Plus if you have a broadband connection of 1.5 Megabits per second or higher, the PRO-HD can stream content pretty well anywhere outside the home you can get a fast network connection.

The Slingbox PRO-HD also includes SlingStream 2.0, maximizing audio and video quality in both high and low bitrate network environments, support for both 4:3 and 16:9 screen formats, and compatibility with all sorts of high-def video and audio formats.

You can get yours from Amazon for $299.99, or if you’re in Canada wait a few weeks for the $329.99 version to hit Best Buy, Future Shop and London Drugs.

Philips will launch a 38mm ultra-slim, ultra-light TV which has its picture processing electronics housed in a separate hub at IFA in Germany, Pocket-lint has learnt. The new television, which will be called Essence, will sport a 42-inch screen and be able to be hung the wall like a picture, probably in a similar way to Sony’s Picture Frame range of televisions.

No details on screen quality however we would expect it to use the recently announced 9000 panel from Philips.Philips has already announced that it will be officially launching the 2nd generation Aurea at the show.

Viewsonic rolled out its new LCD monitor ‘VX62 series’ in Korea market, which attracts PC gamers and home-theater enthusiasts.With piano black finish, the VX62 series features 1680*1050 resolution, 2ms response speed, and a built-in speaker. In particular, the 22-inch model boasts 20,000:1 contrast ratio.

LG Electronics and NEtFlix introduced the first Blu-Ray disc player which will allow you to access to a growing library of movies and TV episodes from Netflix in order to instantly and directly stream the contents to your TV.
The LG BD300 will, of course, play high definition Blu-ray discs, but it will also able to upscale DVDs to 1080p. Our new Player also features LG’s SimpLink(TM) technology.

Available this fall, the LG BD300 Network Blu-ray Disc Player will play high definition Blu-ray discs, up convert standard DVDs to 1080p and allow Netflix subscribers to instantly stream more than 12,000 choices of movies and TV episodes from Netflix to the TV for no additional charge

VMM Monitor

VIZIO today revealed details of three new display lines, including the company’s first true hybrid display. Known so far as the VMM Monitor, the 26-inch LCD will have dual HDMI inputs but also DVI and VGA as well as RCA audio inputs for built-in 3W speakers. The TV maker promises a more desktop-capable design with a relatively thin bezel, a glass front panel, and the option of tilting or swiveling the image. VIZIO expects the VMM to appear in August for $450, or less than many stand-alone HDTVs at the same size. In its more familiar business, VIZIO also plans to launch an environmentally friendly 32-inch set. The ECO is capped to 720p but consumes about 65 watts less than a typical 32-inch model, or about 40 to 50 percent less than average sets. It also contains less toxic materials than full sets and even comes in thinner, recyclable packaging. The TV maker gives the screen a 2,500:1 contrast ratio as well as three HDMI inputs, dual RCA, and one each of component, S-video and VGA inputs. Shipments should start in October at an undetermined price.

ECO

A third introduction will see VIZIO debut the Java FHD line, which will give the company’s smaller TVs a more upscale copper-and-black look as well as 1080p at sizes as small as 32 and 37 inches. Both sizes produce a 6,500:1 dynamic contrast ratio as well as three HDMI connections, dual component and RCA video inputs and one VGA input. The 37-inch Java FHD ships in September for $850, while the smaller panel ships on October 1st for $650.

Java FHD

Sony at its E3 press gathering introduced a Video section to the console side of the PlayStation Store. Users of the PlayStation 3 will be able to buy or rent content from most major studios, including not just its own Sony Pictures but also Disney, Fox, NGM, Paramount, Warner, and other smaller studios. The company is uniquely one of the first to allow TV show purchases in HD as well as in standard definition, and prices them at $2 each; movies can be rented in either resolution for typical prices of $3 to $4, with permanent movie downloads selling for $10 to $20. Also unique is a sideloading feature, Sony explains.
The service will go live this evening; Sony hasn’t announced which countries will receive the service on launch beyond the US.

Sharp exhibited environmentally conscious products and environmentally advanced technology including LCD TVs and solar panels in both the Environmental Showcase and the Zero Emission House next to the International Media Center

According to the company, the Sharp’s low power consumption LCD TV uses approximately one-fourth the power and has about one-third the annual energy consumption*3 of a conventional 28-inch CRT TV having nearly the same screen area. Even compared to existing LCD TVs, the low power consuming design uses about one-third the power and has around one-half the annual energy consumption.

Electronic components form parts of electronic circuitry, and are used or manufactured in the field of electronics, which is the study of electrical devices used for controlling electrically charged particles or the flow of electrons to execute any electrical operation.So, Pioneer Corporation, Tokyo, has announced that it has developed a 16 layer read only optical disc, which can hold an astounding 400 GB of data.The optical specifications of the lens such as the numerical aperture are similar to BD discs, which means, they both might be compatible with each other. Pioneer will make public more information at the ISOM/ODS2008 in Hawaii, which begins July 13.

SMART show a flat-panel interactive whiteboard at the infoCom08 in Las Vegas. It is able to simply touch the display to control computer applications, write in digital ink and save works. Compatible with a broad range of flat-panel display sizes and brands, SMART Board for Flat-Panel Displays interactive whiteboards use DViT(Digital Vision Touch) technology to ensure touch precision without compromising image quality.