The Apple HDTV is a very strange product to appear on the Best Buy consumer survey since this is not a real product yet. It would seem Best Buy wants to get an idea if its customers were interested in such a TV and at what price it might sell at. The photo you see here is an actual screenshot from the customer survey Best Buy is running.

We’re wondering if Best Buy has some sort of insider information or if this is all pure speculation. I would bet this is pure speculation on Best Buy’s part, if it actually had any insider information or had talked to Apple about the product, I don’t think it would be leaking any details. The survey shows that the set would sell for $1499, would run iOS, support apps, and have a 42-inch 1080p flat-panel display. That price seems expensive for 42-inch set, but Apple can certainly set its own pricing in many instances and be successful. Interestingly, the survey also says TV has an iSight camera and mic for Skype video calls.

[via The Verge]

When you plan on creating a revolution in the market, it essentially does not matter who you are, even Apple has to work with 3rd party companies to create their devices. LG and Samsung are set up quite nicely in this case to produce their own panels for the Smart TV revolution, both of them already well into the market with such things as HDTV and 3DTV. What Apple has been tipped to be waiting for then is Sharp’s IGZO panels specifically as the Japan-base group readies their production lines for a much greater production rate.

At the moment, Sharp’s 8G lines are able to produce all sorts of panels including 32-inch, 46-inch, and 55-inch sizes. On the other hand, IGZO panels are not ready to be produced at the rate Apple would need them. Apple’s iTV would build on the Apple TV market, but would become a whole new segment if analysts are correct. Will you be amongst the millions of already-ready television watchers to jump in o the next Apple market?

[via DigiTimes]

Announced back at CES 2012 in January, Vizio initially promised three CinemaWide models. In addition to the 58-incher, there’s also to be a smaller, 50-inch XVT3D500CM and a huge 71-inch XVT3D710CM. All three will offer smart TV functionality, including streaming content from Hulu Plus and Netflix, using either wired ethernet or integrated WiFi b/g/n connectivity.

There’s also a Bluetooth remote control, complete with a built-in QWERTY keyboard for easier searching. Users can watch a regular 16:9 aspect widescreen TV show as well as browse through smart TV apps simultaneously, thanks to the wider LCD panel.

Interestingly, Vizio has also created its own technology for sending 21:9 aspect content over a regular HDMI cable. That’s despite the CEO being midway through developing an updated standard which would do just that; “we really wanted to lead that change” Vizio VP of product management John Schindler said of the homegrown tech.

That’s quite a few theater tickets-worth, though you do at least get the reassurance that if you’re sitting on gum it’s probably your own. The extra-wide panel obviously comes into its own when you’re watching cinema-cut content, though it also makes navigating through smart TV menus more straightforward: you can have a Full HD picture on-screen at the same time as a browser bar.

The panel itself uses edge LED lighting and has a 120Hz refresh rate and 400 nits brightness. It includes passive 3D and 32 zones of Smart Dimming, along with picture-in-picture and various SRS pseudo-surround sound. Connectivity includes five HDMI ports, one component, one composite and one VGA, along with an antenna socket, two USB 2.0 and an ethernet port.

There’s also WiFi 802.11n dual-band and Bluetooth, with a bundled Bluetooth remote that includes a keyboard. Still no word on when the CinemaWide TV will launch.

[Thanks Andrew!]

The leak, Munster reckons, is ”continued evidence that Apple is exploring production of a television,” something the analyst has been talking about since 2010. All signs point to a potential 2012 release, Munster predicts, with the Apple television believed to use the Siri voice control system that debuted on the iPhone 4S.

Siri integration – using natural voice commands to find shows and streaming content, rather than a traditional remote – is supposedly a dead cert in what insiders described as a “guaranteed product” late in 2011. Screen sizes of 42- and 50-inches have also been suggested, although other sources claim Apple will test the market with TV-enabled iMacs initially.

As for content, Apple obviously has its iTunes catalog and various streaming services such as Netflix, but there has also been talk of deals with content owners for custom packages of shows and channels exclusively for Apple smart TV owners. “Since we know Apple is exploring television hardware,” Munster says, “we are therefore led to conclude that the company is exploring a solution for live TV, and this solution could be one that has not yet been taken mainstream.”

[via Apple Insider]

The second unit will be a bit more unique – unique to people that’ve not yet experienced the current Xbox TV world, that is. This little unit will cost significantly less than the larger Xbox made for gaming, this little unit made instead to sit on top of your television and work with you via Kinect. This unit will be using Kinect controls, just like you can now with Xbox TV’s Kinect-based set of gestures, and will feature all the great abilities Xbox 360 has right now working with your television to bring all the Smart TV functionality you could possibly want.

This has been described in part, or at least in wishes in an article written up this past week by Don Reisinger. This fellow has compared Microsoft’s Xbox to the Apple TV more than once, and filets them a new one divining the existence of this futuristic Xbox TV set-top box as he does so. Would you purchase an Xbox 720 unit if it were small enough for the average person to afford but impressive enough to use as your one and only smart TV unit?

Of course Sony and Samsung complained just as quick as the advertisements were released, finding in both situations that NAD both took their case and challenged LG separately, finding essentially the same thing: LG’s findings were simply unfair. One of the most telling examples is listed by NAD here, siting the actual units used to do the tests:

“NAD, in considering the advertiser’s evidence, noted that LG’s “broad line claims are premised upon a single test of the parties’ entry-level model 3D televisions” although the record was clear that all three parties make several models of 3D televisions within their respective lines – from entry-level models to high-end technological 3D sets – each configured with any number of combinations of features and attributes. … NAD also recommended that the advertiser discontinue its characterization of the tested Samsung 6420 model as Samsung’s “leading model.”

Claims ranging from LG’s largest advertising point, that “4 out of 5″ consumers preferred LG 3D televisions, to the quite similar claim that consumers preferred LG 3D technology “3 to 1″ over Samsung 3D technology, have all been recommended by NAD to be permanently discontinued. LG prepared separate statements for both cases and outright disagreed with the findings, saying they still respect NAD, but wouldn’t be agreeing to this situation:

“LG supported its claims with an innovative national consumer preference study that was designed and administered by a leading ISO 9001:2008 certified survey research firm. LG believes that the study firmly established consumers’ overwhelming preference for the LG 3D television over the challenger’s comparable 3D television. …

“The advertising claims at issue in this challenge have run their planned course; nevertheless, LG respects the NAD self-regulatory process and will take the NAD’s views into consideration in its advertising going forward.” – LG

Some of the statements brought up in both cases that Samsung and Sony felt should be removed from advertising on the part of LG were as follows. And don’t forget that NAD actually did find in favor of LG for one of these: “[LG Cinema 3D provides] Picture Perfect 3D. From Any Angle,” saying it’s monadic. These are the statements in question:

• “FOUR OUT OF FIVE CONSUMERS PREFER LG CINEMA 3D OVER SONY AND SAMSUNG ACTIVE
3D IN HEAD-TO-HEAD COMPARISON”
• “In 3D TV Tests, 4 out of 5 People Choose LG over Sony and Samsung for Overall 3D
Experience”
• “4 out of 5 People Choose LG Cinema 3D over Sony and Samsung for Overall 3D Experience”
• “4 out of 5 People Choose LG Cinema 3D over Sony and Samsung for Brightness”
• “4 out of 5 People Choose LG Cinema 3D over Sony and Samsung for Color”
• “4 out of 5 People Choose LG Cinema 3D over Sony and Samsung for Picture Quality”
• “4 out of 5 People Choose LG Cinema 3D over Sony and Samsung for Glasses”
• “[LG Cinema 3D provides] Picture Perfect 3D. From Any Angle”;
• “Consumers favor passive 3D technology, like LG Cinema 3D, because they prefer every
aspect of the passive 3D TV experience”
• “Consumers’ clear preference for passive 3D” has been demonstrated by “independent,
unbiased research”

Again the most notable case here is the fact that Samsung’s Model 46” 6420 was the only one used in consumer tests. This model, as Samsung notes, is not only just one of 43 Samsung televisions currently out there with 3D capability, it’s not even a general distribution model. Samsung has two different screen types on the market now with televisions with 3D capabilities ranging between 40 to 65-inches and prices between $1,000 to $5,000. Because LG was in no way clear on this point (or even that it used that one TV) in its advertising, “the advertiser’s broad claims convey the unsubstantiated message that the test results show that 4 out of 5 people prefer all televisions in the LG Cinema 3D line to all Samsung 3D televisions when that was not the case.”

It appears to this editor that LG has acted in very bad taste in this situation, and the full report has one whole heck of a lot more issues to burn through than this. Advertising can be a wicked world to be a part of, and it’s no small deal when you’re found to be doing the false brand of it. We’re expecting this case to move on past this set of reports without a doubt.

Toshiba launched the 3D HDTV in Japan last November, with limited availability, as the 55X3. The screen itself is a 3850 x 2160 panel – that’s Quad Full High Definition – and uses 240-zone intelligent backlighting. Toshiba has implemented a face tracking system for the glasses-free 3D, using a lenticular sheet placed across the panel, and up to nine viewers are supported simultaneously.

2D to 3D conversion is also possible, though only at 1,280 x 720 resolution. If you’re not interested in 3D, then it’s likely to be the 4k2k resolution that’s most interesting: although projectors supporting that sort of detail are reasonably broadly available, 4k2k TVs are less common.

Still unclear is price. In Japan, the 55X3 comes in at roughly $10,000, which means the set is likely to be similarly expensive when it arrives in North America.

Initially, though, production will be more conservative, ramping up from around 8,000 panels per month. LG Display will use the time to make a decision on investment into its 8G OLED production facilities, expecting to decide in Q3 this year whether to pump cash into large-scale production in 2013.

The panels will be slotted into high-end sets like the LG 55EM9600, launched at CES. Less than 4mm thick and weighing just 16 pounds, the TV supports passive 3D and Full HD resolution, though LG is yet to say exactly what it – or production variants – will cost. More details on the 55EM9600 in our eyes-on report.

LG Display announced another loss-making quarter, but at 6.25 billion won ($5.56m) it was an altogether more successful three month period than the previous year, when the company made a $239m loss. Panel production is expected to be low through 2012, the company has warned, though the market is expected to grow compared to 2011.

[via OLED-Display]

“Our Apple TV product is doing quite well… but in the scheme of things, we still classify Apple TV as a hobby. We continue to add things to it. If you’re using the latest one — I don’t know about you, but I can’t live without it. Other than that, no comment,” said Cook.

Cook did suggest that the company would “continue to pull strings and see where we can take it,” but there were no hints at rolling Apple TV into the much rumored Apple HD television sets. Ever since the Steve Jobs biography revealed that the visionary believed he had “cracked” the code for developing a successful TV, rumors have re-ignited about Apple television sets, even surmising two Apple HDTV models to be launched by mid-2012.

[via TechCrunch]

The move is to save money. Previously, Hitachi, Sony, and Toshiba all agreed to an operations merger back in November 2011 that would have all operations for LCD manufacturing merging into the Innovation Network Corporation of Japan. Each of the three firms would hold 10% of the merged company with the deal expected to close this April. The announcement that Hitachi is moving its flat screen LCD TV business out of the country.

Hitachi is moving the flat screen TVs from its consumer electronics arm to the Hitachi brand home appliances arm. That transfer will start April 1 and will be completed by the end of September. That is a strange move since TVs have more to do with consumer electronics than home appliances though the two do converge with some refrigerators having TVs for instance.

This update will bring you improved information banners so you’ll know even more about the things you should be paying attention to instead of reading, and you’ll now get multi-room streaming on top of it all. This is for you rich folks with your TiVo boxes in multiple rooms, of course. This feature was not available for early adopters, but like the rest of the updates, is available for all users now.

You’ll be getting additional updates this spring including a fully refreshed set of apps for YouTube and Netflix, not to mention Parental Controls in your HD menus! The update you’re dealing with right now goes by the code-name 20.2, and if you’re wise, you’ll be able to wait for it to come down on you in due time, hopefully sometime across the weekend hours. Otherwise you can be crafty and try to force the update with TiVo mind magic. Stay safe, folks, just wait for it!

[via TiVo]

We’ve seen wireless TVs using WHDI before, but this new prototype from Haier may be the largest, boasting a 55-inch LCD panel. Both video signals, including 3D video data, and electricity are transmitted wirelessly to the TV.

A power-receiving coil sits near the bottom of the TV while a power-transmitting device is stored in the stand below the TV. The distance between the bottom of the TV and the power-transmitting device is said to be about 8 inches.

[via TheVerge]

But it wasn’t just LG. Vizio showed off an ultra-widescreen set that many film buffs were happy to see, and the sheer number of Smart TVs featuring built-in apps, integration with DVRs, and countless other features was dizzying. There were even the giant televisions on display for those who have large rooms and want to impress friends.

Check our all the CES 2012 Smart TVs here

All that has made me wonder: how will Apple, a company that is reportedly working on a new television to best them all, actually achieve its goal of changing customer perceptions about TVs?

The way I see it, just about every company is providing what Apple will reportedly offer in its own HDTVs. We already have extremely well-designed sets, thin televisions that look like a picture frame hanging on the wall, and TVs featuring all the apps you would seemingly want. What’s more, they all come in at prices that, if history is to be our guide, Apple likely won’t even come close to matching.

Furthermore, I just don’t see any technologies out there that Apple could stake claim to. If the company offers up an OLED set, LG will respond with one of its own. If it only sells 4K televisions, the competition will have already put some out.

Unfortunately for Apple, the television market might be one place where it really was too late to the game.

Looking back, being late to the game is something that Apple hasn’t suffered all that often. In fact, its most successful products, the iPod, the iPhone, and the iPad, helped set off entire new product ideas. In the television space, however, there’s little chance of the iPhone maker having a chance to do that.

Of course, there will undoubtedly be Apple apologists that disagree. They’ll argue that Apple’s integration of the App Store and iCloud will be enough for the company to attract customers away from competing sets. They’ll also say that Apple’s branding always wins out.

Admittedly, it’s hard to argue with that. And even if Apple launches a television with technologies we’ve already seen, there’s a good chance the set will still sell well.

But I think it’s time we all acknowledge that Apple isn’t the only company in the industry that has, or is willing to, take chances. Some of the top TV vendors in the world are quite Apple-like in their product presentations. And this year, I think we’re going to see that quite clearly.

Watch out, Apple. You might just have more TV competition than you think.

“The irony” Sculley observes, “is that as the pictures get better and the choice of content gets broader, that the complexity of the experience of using the television gets more and more complicated.” That’s just the sort of challenge Apple has faced in other tech segments and succeeded at, he argues; indeed, the original iPhone is seen by many as a turning point in smartphone UI and design.

As for the Apple Newton – a project begun during Sculley’s tenure at Apple, and axed by Steve Jobs upon his return – the BBC asked whether he was frustrated by seeing the proliferation of smartphones today when he helped create what was arguably their precursor. It seems, though, that Sculley is sanguine about the limitations of technology in the late 80s and 90s:

“Newton was probably 15 years too early. I’m not a technologist. I didn’t have the experience to make that judgment but we were I think right on many of the concepts. The product clearly failed in terms of taking on such an ambitious goal. I think in hindsight there is a lot of good legacy there with the Newton. Even if the product itself never survived the technology did” John Sculley

[via mocoNews; Image credit visual media]

LG unveiled a Google TV-powered range of HDTVs at CES this week, using the same Honeycomb-based v2 iteration of the platform that has already been pushed out to existing Logitech and Sony hardware. However, this new arrangement would give LG privileged access to Google’s third-gen version, which is expected to be released by the end of 2012.

Although Android is open-source, and manufacturers have broad scope to modify and implement the OS as they see fit, Google has used the Nexus program to lead vendors in the direction it sees best for the platform. The original, HTC-made Nexus One kick-started faster processors and bigger, better displays, while the Samsung Nexus S introduced NFC. Most recently, the Galaxy Nexus has pushed screen resolution and debuted Ice Cream Sandwich.

Having seen a shaky start, Google TV could potentially be brought back on track with a flagship device to help Google outline the hardware possibilities of the platform alongside the software. No timescale for the LG set’s release has been indicated, and indeed a spokesperson for the manufacturer said no decision on the partnership has been made; Google declined to comment.

It’s possible that Google’s third-gen TV version could be based on Ice Cream Sandwich, the platform that the company expects to run on both smartphones and tablets and streamline app development for each. Lenovo revealed an ICS-based set this week, the K91 smart TV, though it uses a custom UI rather than Google TV.

It’s a simple concept that Sharp has paired with features that make it truly useful. A carrying handle and kickstand make it easy to move and set up, and support from Sharp’s remote hardware make it easy enough to get content to the screen from close range. The base station connects to the television via its own private WiFi connection, and can handle video from standard HDMI or RGB inputs.

The larger 32-inch, 42-inch and 60-inch models retain the low weight, handles and kickstands that make the smaller Freestyle so handy, but don’t have batteries and require the standard AC connection. It isn’t an ideal solution, since the battery is only rated for two hours – but that should be enough to find a power outlet. Sharp doesn’t have any plans to release the Freestyle televisions in North America at the moment, but they’ll be available in Japan soon, and enough consumer interest could lead them to expand their markets.

The television has the amazing color reproduction and almost perfect black of organic light-emitting diode, a size that’s much more likely to be found in the common living room. (Look for even bigger units next year, in the 70-80 inch range.) Motion is impressively fluid thanks to OLED’s pixel-specific activation.

Physically, the television is absolutely beautiful. At less then 4 millimeters thick, with a bezel that’s practically invisible, this is the kind of fantasy technology that you see floating around science fiction movies. At just 16 pounds, it’s also incredibly portable and small. On a physical scale, LG wins this fight hands-down.

So which wins? I have to give this one to Samsung. The LG model is stunning, but Samsung’s 55-inch Super OLED absolutely blew me away. Either is better than anything currently on the market, but Samsung’s is the clear winner on picture quality – and that’s what counts in the TV world. The LG may still win on availability, though: while neither company gave any price expectations, LG expects to ship the 55EM9600 in the third quarter, while Samsung is still mute on a release expectation.

With your FiOS TV subscription and your 2012 Samsung Smart TV or Smart Blu-ray player, you’ll get instant access to 26 live TV channels, including HD channels. You’ll also be able to access more than 10,000 video-on-demand titles through Verizon’s Flex View service, which delivers on-demand content to TVs, PCs, tablets, and smartphones.

For the full lineup of Samsung Smart TVs as well as those from competing manufacturers that turned up at this week’s CES show in Las Vegas, make sure to check out our Smart TV Roundup. In particular, Samsung has a 60-inch model packed with Kinect-style motion and voice control. Samsung has also announced integrating DIRECTV, once again eliminating the need for additional set-top boxes.

Perceptive pixels has been shipping these large-scale displays since mid-2011 but what makes this one special is the outer layer on the screen. This prototype device represents the largest touch display to feature Corning Gorilla Glass, adding Corning’s thin, visually stunning and durable glass to the world’s largest projected capacitive flat-panel display technology.

With Perceptive’s class-leading technology and Corning’s new Gorilla Glass 2 measuring just 2mm thick they are able to make these entire screens just 6 inches in depth. Adding the strengthened glass from Corning allows these panels to be used in a wide array of situations and horizontal positions. You can see right on video the demonstrator uses the stylus with force and near the end even punches the display to demonstrate the strength from the glass –something that will surely protect these expensive screens from impact damage.

For more information regarding Gorilla Glass 2 check out our timeline below for the details. In the future we can expect even more from both of these companies as things progress.

Not only is this like most HD DVR’s that can consume content, pause and record live HDTV but it also doubles as a TV tuner that converts broadcast and cable TV into streaming MPEG-4 for the most popular connected devices such as iPad and iPhone.

There is one big difference with Simple.TV from most of their competition. They don’t offer standard HDMI outputs or internal storage. Instead users can connect to their home wireless networks to stream content to their devices, including home PC’s and laptops. Same goes for the storage and instead they offer USB 2.0 allowing their customers the option to stream to their network for a low price, or add their own external storage devices.

Launching with major partners already such as Roku and Google TV we can expect to see more from Simple.TV at CES and will be sure to stop by their booth for a full rundown. One important note and concern is the fact that this is a streaming media device yet doesn’t offer WiFi — users will be required to connect using Ethernet, but they do provide 2 ports. We’re assuming you could also use the USB port for wireless network cards.

It will run users a low price of $4.99 per month but allows unlimited streaming for up to 5 users. Priced at $149 plus the $4.99/month subscription, Simple.TV will ship in the Spring of 2012.

Inside is a 4 x 80W ICEpower amp for the midrange and 1 x 40W for the treble, along with an ambient light sensor to automatically adjust screen brightness. Interestingly, there’s no other mounting option beyond on the wall: B&O has even integrated the mount into the plasma set itself.

As for the BeoLab 12 speakers, they use B&O’s own Acoustic Lens Technology to project sound 180-degrees. They use a 3/4-inch Acoustic Lens for the treble, a 2-inch midrange and two 6.5-inch flat CosCone woofers for the lower frequencies, angled in towardsthe wall. There’s also a 2-inch aluminum cone to help the Acoustic Lens system do its magic.

An ICEpower class D amp provides a total of 480W – twin 160W for the bass, 80W for the mids and 80W for the treble – and the system can adapt to the room, the wall and, indeed, whether you place the BeoLab 12′s with the cones at the top or the bottom.

No word on pricing, but the BeoVision 12-65 will arrive in March and the BeoLab 12 speakers in the spring. Expect them both to be expensive.

Samsung and DIRECTV are founding members of the RVU Alliance, which aims to optimize multi-room entertainment experiences for consumers. The companies introduced the RVU protocol last year, which is based on industry standards such as DLNA and UPnP. It allows a set-top box server to provide a complete, multi-room viewing experience, including DVR services, across all connected TVs through one set-top box.

Now, Samsung is embedding RVU in its entire Smart TV lineup, eliminating the need for a set-top box. DIRECTV has created the HR34 Home Media Center HD-DVR, which replicates the set-top box UI and other features to be directly displayed on a Samsung Smart TV. Users will continue to be able to enjoy features such as live pause on all screens in the home, picture-in-picture, record five shows at once, and store up to 200 hours of content. The new RVU-enabled Samsung Smart TVs are expected to be available in Spring 2012.

The XVT3D710CM has Vizio’s “TruLED” backlighting, while the rest of the CinemaWide line-up has Razor LED side-lighting. Rather than the Google TV integration that the R-Series gets, the new extra-wide sets will instead use Vizio’s own VIA smart TV system with Yahoo! apps. All have integrated WiFi-n, however, and a Bluetooth QWERTY keyboard for control and navigation.

Like Philips’ Cinema 21:9 sets, however, it’s theater-style entertainment at home that Vizio is particularly pushing. The 21:9 aspect means full-width cinema content can be shown with minimal black bars, though of course it’s not much use for streamed or broadcast content (unless you want the picture to be stretched).

No word on pricing or availability at this stage.

All four sets run at 1920 x 1080 Full HD resolution, with 5.5ms response times. The 42-, 47- and 55-inch models have 240Hz refresh rates, while the 65-incher scales that back to 120Hz; each gets edge-lit LED backlighting and Smart Dimming. Ports across the line-up include four HDMI 1.4 inputs, one component/composite, one RF antenna, two USB and a PC input, along with optical and stereo audio outputs. WiFi b/g/n is built in, along with Bluetooth.

The 42- and 47-inch models have twin 10W stereo, while the two larger sets step up to 15W. There’s SRS StudioSound HD support across the range, though you’ll obviously get better results if you hook up a home theater surround sound system.

Vizio’s Theater 3D system uses passive, battery-free glasses, which the company reckons result in a picture up to twice as bright as active-shutter systems. Up to four pairs are included in the box, and further sets are promised to be inexpensive.

Google TV is also found on Vizio’s new 65-inch M3D650SV. No word on pricing for any of the new models at this stage.

This week Sony announced that it had axed its OLED TV line. Those sets had nice image quality and were very thin, but the very high cost of OLED screens put the TVs out of the price range for most people. At CES, Sony is showing off what it hopes to be the next big thing in TVs and large displays called Crystal LED Display. Sony is showing off a 55-inch version of the screen. Sony says that the 55-inch full HD display uses LEDs as the light source. The set uses ultrafine LEDs in each of the RGB colors in quantities equivalent to the number of pixels.

That means there are about 6 million LEDs for a full HD set. The huge number of colored LEDs make for “strikingly higher contrast” and a wider color gamut according to Sony. The set is packing 1.4 times the color gamut of the normal LED sets and has a faster image response time as well. The demo TV has a brightness rating to 400cd/m2 and viewing angles of 180-degrees. The contrast in dark environments is more than measurable limit values according to Sony. There is no indication of when the set might come to market or what it might cost.

The screen itself is produced from a single pane of glass, with each pixel having its own RGB sub-pixels. It’s apparently over 1,000 times faster than LED sets, but Super OLED actually uses less power than regular LCD sets.

You still get 3D functionality and dual core processor, with Samsung’s 1,400 smart TV apps offering everything from streaming access through Netflix, Hulu and other on-demand services, to weather updates, games, news and more. There’s social networking, too, along with AllShare Play to link – through cloud storage to remote smartphones, tablets, camera, computers and TVs.

Samsung isn’t saying how much the 55-inch OLED TV will cost – we’re guessing you’ll need a very well-padded bank account – but it’ll apparently go on sale later on this year.

An expansion bay on the back of the 2012 TVs can be fitted with an upgrade card, to add new features as Samsung develops them. The company says it will begin offering upgrade kits from 2013.

The integrated camera and microphone means you can turn the TV on or off, activate apps or search in the browser using your voice – with noise cancellation to boost accuracy – with hand-waves used to navigate around the page. A dual-core processor keeps things moving swiftly, and there’s a tabbed web browser, over 1,400 apps to choose from, and AllShare Play to stream content to and from PCs, smartphones and tablets.

The Samsung ES8000 Smart LED TV and ES7500 Smart LED TV series offer both 2D and 3D, with an 0.2 inch ultra-slim bezel on the premium models and a 0.5 inch bezel on the regular line-up. There’s also a slim wall mount option.

As for the E80000 Smart Plasma TV, that has a 1.5-inch profile and Samsung’s Plasma +1 ultra-slim bezel design, as well as a Real Black Pro Panel that’s supposedly 10-percent blacker than previous plasma displays.

No word on pricing at this stage.

Lenovo has apparently skinned the K91 with a “Sandwich” UI, pulling together traditional TV shows, video-on-demand (VoD) and internet apps. VoD is available in HD quality and automatically pulls out suggestions based on viewing history, plus there’s access to the Android Market and the homegrown Lenovo Store for games and other titles.

As well as a traditional remote, there’s voice control and speech recognition, while ICS’ Face Unlock feature can be used to turn on the TV itself. Thanks to Android’s networking capabilities you can access cloud-based content as well as stream media between PC, tablet, smartphone and the K91; you can also turn your smartphone or tablet into a remote. Lenovo has also prepared a gaming controller, for when you’d rather shoot something.

Unfortunately all this Android TV goodness isn’t going to be broadly available, at least initially. Lenovo says the K91 Smart TV is available in China immediately, with launches in the rest of the world “at a later date.” No word on pricing at this stage.

As for the twin gamer appeal, that’s LG Dual Play: with two gamers each wearing special glasses, they can see a different full-screen view at the same time, rather than sharing a portion of the screen. It’s something we’ve seen before on Sony’s PlayStation 3D Display, but likely to be considerably bigger on LG’s sets.

3D Sound Zooming is promised, to better position audio within your room based on where, on-screen, it’s meant to be. That’s already been included in LG’s hefty multi-channel surround systems, though we’ll have to wait until next week to see how well it actually works.

Finally, as you’d expect, there’s smart TV integration in the new Cinema Screen sets, though it looks to be LG’s existing implementation rather than Google TV.

The Toshiba 55-inch 4K 3DTV is already available in Japan as the 55X3 and in Germany as the 55LZ2, launching back in December with a whopping price tag of a little over $10,000 worth in each country’s respective currencies. Hence, it’s safe to assume that the US version will be demanding a similar price, although CNET sources did not confirm exact pricing yet.

The glasses-free 3D technology in this TV creates the 3D illusion by showing separate views to your left and right eye. Since there could be many people watching TV at a time with each sitting at a different angle to the screen, the technology divides the viewing area into 9 separate regions so that everyone can get the 3D effect. It can also convert 2D to 3D, but 3D resolution is at 1,280 x 720 pixels instead of 4K.

The company is expected to show another prototype at CES next week that is dramatically improved from last year’s prototype and also slightly different from the commercial unit that will be launched early this year.

Apple iTV

Earlier this week there was a rather popular tip saying that Apple had not one, but two new fully integrated experiences coming through for the 2012 season. These televisions will likely work with the iTunes App Store in one way or another (or all ways at once) offering music, video, and of course fancy apps. Like the rest of the smart televisions coming at you this year, this Apple solution will be based on the cloud, using the internet to get you what you want. [dive deeper]

Google TV

Just this morning Google dropped a bomb which included Samsung, Sony, and Vizio to the forefront with the until-now not exactly successful Google TV. We’ll certainly be watching this situation closely as inside 2011 we saw the launch and subsequent stoppering of Logitech’s effort with Google TV, despite their Kevin Baconing the situation. Now with these partners on board we expect Google to have a decent chance at actually owning the living room. MediaTek’s Google TV chipset has already been detailed, too, if you want to take a look. [dive deeper]

Kanye West

The rapper entrepreneur extraordinaire has decided he wants a piece of the pie as well, whipping up (possibly) a company by the name of DONDA which creates all things immersive media. One of the few things West has released in the way of possible products that this company would create is a seven-screen television setup which dunks you in the video you’re watching. Get smart and get big! [via BetaBeat] Doubt we’ll be seeing Kanye at CES, but it’s fun to dream – and he certainly does do that!

We’ll be at CES 2012 all next week, be sure to jump into our [CES 2012 portal] to experience the whole show and announcements galore as they’re dropped!

The LG Google TV comes with the “Magic Remote Qwerty” and a user interface based on Android Honeycomb. The Magic Remote Qwerty is a combination of its voice-controlled Magic Remote with a QWERTY keyboard. With the LG Google TV users can expect an interface and main screen designed for convenient browsing. Those hoping to do a bit of multi-tasking, don’t fret. The search, social networking and TV functions can be run simultaneously.

LG’s Google TV will come equipped with LG’s own CINEMA 3D technology.The built-in 2D to 3D conversion engine allows any 2D content to be viewable in 3D. CINEMA 3D glasses, which are battery-free and relatively affordable, will be required for viewing 3D content. This TV looks promising, however, one specification that has yet to be released is size. But with CES just around the corner, we won’t have to wait much longer for that information.

[via PR Newswire]

Samsung had dropped support for the Japanese market back in 2007, over concerns it was unable to satisfactorily compete with homegrown firms like Toshiba, Sony and NEC. In the years since that decision, however, Japan’s native vendors have struggled to compete, with Sony recently selling up its stake in the S-LCD joint-venture with Samsung amid diving performance of its LCD unit.

Meanwhile, Samsung has gone from strength to strength. Its new controlling role in the S-LCD business is expected to allow the company “heightened flexibility, speed and efficiency in both panel production and business operations” according to the deal announcement.

A push for OLED TVs will see Samsung take on LG directly, its arch-rival already committed to bringing a 55-inch OLED set to CES 2012 next week and expected to launch it commercially late in the year. Samsung has also been tipped to bring a similarly-scaled OLED HDTV to the tech show; SlashGear will be there to bring back all the details.

[via Reuters]

That – along with OLED’s inherent display advantages – means LG can promise an infinite contrast ratio for the new 55-incher, with pictures LG says are simply impossible with existing LCD and LED panels. It’s faster, too: 1,000x faster, in fact, than LED and LCD, for smear-free movies and sports.

As the new press shots show, all that display technology will be wrapped in a super-slick design, with a 4mm thick bezel. The whole set will weigh a mere 7.5kg, making it ideal for wall-mounting. There’s 3D support, too.

What LG still isn’t confirming is price, and though this new display uses a cheaper production process based on Oxide TFT technology, we’re still expecting it to carry a premium tag. That – along with release dates – will presumably be shared at CES next month; we’ll be there to bask in LG’s glow.

The sources claim that the materials will be readied in Q1 2012 to meet the Apple schedule for launching the sets in Q2 or Q3. In previous rumors about these TVs we had heard the screens would be three different sizes including 24-inch, 32-inch, and 55-inch versions. DigiTimes sources are claiming that the initial sizes will be 32-inch and 37-inch.

Other sources are also cited that are saying the traditional next-gen Apple TV set-top box will debut in 2012 as well. It would make sense for Apple to target the new buyers with a TV that has the tech integrated and a set-top box for those that don’t want to buy a new TV.

[via DigiTimes]

A 100,000:1 contrast ratio and broader color gamut than similarly sized LCD panels add to a response time in excess of 1,000x faster than LCD, along with reduced power consumption from more intelligent backlighting. There’s also what LG is calling “White OLED (WOLED)” which vertically stacks red, green and blue diodes on a white diode base.

Where LG Display has been particularly clever is in the backplane, using an Oxide TFT tech rather than Low Temperature Poly Silicon (LTPS) as is currently common in OLED, for identical picture quality and performance but “significantly reduced investment levels.”

Those cheaper manufacturing costs will be essential if large-scale OLED is to take on LCD and plasma in the living room. Existing OLED TVs commercially released have generally been both small and expensive; LG has shown it can go big, but there’s no word on whether this particular OLED HDTV will see a retail launch or simply be used as a tech demo for WOLED and Oxide TFT processes.

[via Engadget]

The video you’ll see here shows several iterations of the family at home watching the television, each one basically the same but with tinges of less desirable situations leading up to the current seating of the family. This newest set has the family of four which now only appears to have one person left in the interested set, the other three paying attention instead to a tablet computer. The father of the bunch has other ideas, of course, and continues to use a remote control, demanding that his minions watch the bigger screen. Can we expect a tablet-hating TV in 2012?

Of course we’ll find out at CES, this taking place at the start of January in Las Vegas, Nevada. We’ll be there will bells on and will be reporting back to you directly here on SlashGear. Dive deep into the trailers and teasers for now with the tag CES 2012!

You’ll be able to work with the brand new voice recognition system to bring you in to simple changing of channels and functions, primarily used in demos to search for programs you may want to watch on your big screen TV. Once you find what you want, you can use the device’s wheel to select your favorite program and hit play. If you’d on the other hand just like to find your recently viewed videos, you’ll be able to use magic motion gestures to get to this by simply making the letter “V.” Then of course there’s the 3D button that comes specifically with the 3D version of the device, blowing your mind instantly at a tap.

And all of this in a controller that does not have the same 10 billion button selections that past universal controllers did. This is a new age in devices, ladies and gentlemen, and LG is right on the tip with this controller and its less than 10 physical keys. Get ready to control your media experience with a wave of the wand.

[via LG]

The issue is that both Samsung and Apple are excelling at providing high-quality mobile products to customers. Apple’s iPhone and iPad are nearly universally beloved by users, and Samsung’s smartphone line and tablets are among the most celebrated in their respective markets. Simply put, Apple and Samsung are probably the two most impressive mobile device providers in the business.

But I don’t think those battles will end at the mobile market. In fact, I think next year, Apple and Samsung will be waging a new war in a new market: TVs.

According to the latest rumors, Apple is planning to launch a new television next year that would integrate iCloud and apps, and aim at eliminating the need for users to connect external set-top boxes (save for the DVR). And although the Apple TV will be priced quite high — Piper Jaffray analyst Gene Munsters says it could be twice as expensive as a comparable set — I’m among the many folks who can’t wait to get my hands on it.

When Apple finally launches the set, it’ll be going head-to-head with Samsung, arguably the best HDTV maker in the business. Like Apple, Samsung sells its top sets — the D8000 series — at a premium, and backs that up with a host of desirable features, including outstanding picture quality, a built-in application store, and access to the Web via included Wi-Fi. What’s more, the company’s televisions are undoubtedly the best-looking televisions on store shelves.

Does that sound familiar? It should. By the sound of things, Samsung is currently doing much of what Apple has planned. And there is a good chance that, if the Apple TV takes off, we might start seeing the companies engage in a bitter battle for outright domination of that market.

Of course, there are some Apple fans that say Samsung doesn’t have a shot. After all, they say, Samsung has been facing difficulty taking Apple on in the mobile market, and to think things would be any different in the television space would be ridiculous.

But I’m not so sure I agree. The television market is much different from smartphones or tablets where people invest a few hundred bucks to get a new product every year. Plus, Samsung has a large installed base in the television market already, and is widely viewed as a leader in that space. That won’t suddenly change because Apple is coming around.

The way I see it, next year could be a big year for the television industry. And Apple and Samsung, vying for control of that space, will be gunning for each other. It should be very interesting to see which of those two companies will win out.