Here's a roundup of some of Team Shiny's video reviews and previews of kit at CES 2008.
Samsung's 3D-ready Plasma television
It's not CES without someone looking like an idiot in gaming glasses or riding horse simulators. This year, Susi tested out the first 3D-ready plasma television from Samsung. It looks a bit odd without the glasses on, but she assures us it looks great when you're gaming. Take a look for yourself...
A North Carolina company, United Plastics, has been exhibiting "My Theatre Acoustic Panels" which are supposed to improve speaker sound quality by reducing reflective sound waves that bounce off hard surfaces like walls, floors, and tables. Reflective sound distorts the true sound frequencies emitted from the speakers, greatly reducing sound quality. These innovative acoustic panels improve speaker sounds, creating a rich listening experience.
Installation of the system is said to be very easy. The ideal location for the panels is hung on the wall at ear level directly behind or in front of the listener.
"We enhance the customer's listening lifestyle by applying industrial technology used in a better way for their homes," said Nick Antonecchia, President and CEO of United Plastics.
Sharp has announced their new AQUOS Net system which can be used for delivering both content and diagnostic help to their range of TVs.
AQUOS Net is accessed via selected TV's built-in Ethernet port, which, when connected to the Internet, allows users to access "widgets" of everyday information from providers such as WeatherBug, UCLICK, the AQUOS Gallery, Traffic.com, and NBC Universal.
Additionally, live customer support can be accessed via the TV, ncluding the ability to have dedicated Sharp advisors connect remotely to their TV to assist in adjusting the TV's settings and optimising picture quality for the best viewing experience.
There are also online FAQs giving customers advice on setting up their system.
Though this is currently a US only service, it could easily be expanded to cover other markets.
The iPod gets everywhere, which is perhaps why JVC has decided that its P Series LCD TVs have an integrated iPod dock.
Available in 32, 42, 47, and 52-inch screen sizes, the 32-incher is 768p (that doesn't tell us which HD resolutions it will handle, but likely only 720p), while the rest are 1080p.
Other features include three HDMI inputs, 10W per channel speakers, USB port, and of course the iPod dock.
I can't say I'm all that excited by connecting up an iPod to my TV, and the rest of the features don't sound mind-blowing, but I'm sure it will appeal to some.
Sets are available at various times from March through Summer 2008. Prices to be confirmed.
Texas Instruments has shown off its latest technology for 3D-ready DLP TVs, which will allow two gamers to have their own independent gaming view on the same screen.
DualView can simultaneously display two content sources, by combining the advancements in DLP technology and using compatible eyewear.
The key to a ghost-free picture quality of DualView is the coordination of the DLP chip's extremely fast 8 microsecond switching speed with high-contrast shutter glass operation. The DLP prototype eye-wear controller synchronizes the glasses' shutters by decoding a proprietary signal embedded in the DLP image stream. The result is a view for each gamer that is independent from the other and allows for a more competitive, enjoyable game experience by eliminating the ability to cheat at the other players screen, which currently is a limitation of split screen two-player game displays.
Sharp has announced a series of limited "special edition" AQUOS LCD TVs. The SE94 Series will be available in 46, 52, and 65-inch screen sizes, with 1080p resolution, Sharp's 10-bit Advanced Super View panel, slim-line design, 27,000:1 dynamic contrast ratio, 120Hz frame rate, 5-wavelength backlight system, 176 degree viewing angle, and three HDMI inputs.
In addition, Sharp will be offering Power Line Communications adapters which will allow the TV to be connected to a source in another room via the internal electrical wiring system.
Available in the next couple of months, the 46-inch set will cost $3,199.99, the 52-inch set $4,199.99, and the 65-inch set $10,999.99. No details on exactly how limited these sets are, or whether they'll come to the UK.
Along with their HD700 720p camcorder, Sanyo has announced what they claim is the world's smallest, lightest camcorder (as of August last year — a lot could have changed by now).
Unsurprisingly, it looks very similar to the HD700, and offers a similar feature set. Sanyo is happy to claim that their 1080i camera is "full HD" - strictly speaking it's a "p" short but that doesn't detract from this being a pretty capable little camcorder.
It uses the AVCHD recording format, features an impressive 10x optical zoom lens, 2.7-inch widescreen display, a HD recording time of up to five hours, ergonomic design, and weight of 9.5oz.
Its suggested retail price is US$799.99, which is just $200 (about £100) over the 720p version, and it's available now.
Philips has shown off two new Ambisound Home Theatre systems. The HTS6100 and HTS6515D systems feature advanced audio technology, multi-channel amplifier, DVD player, and iPod dock.
Both units feature Philips' Ambisound technology, HDMI connectivity, and video up-conversion. They offer virtual 5.1 channel surround sound from a single, central receiver and separate subwoofer.
For maximum audio quality and clarity, the Ambisound system has DoubleBASS, which results in deeper bass performance, FullSound features for improved MP3 audio quality, and Smart Surround feature, which automatically ensures correct surround-sound settings for movies or music.
Available from May, the HTS6100 will cost $599 and the HTS6515D $499.
Various products using Texas Instruments' DLP products being demonstrated at this year's CES are showing an improved level of brightness that can now exceed competing plasma TV technology.
DLP technology has now doubled the brightness of previous LED models and reached levels that exceed that of the competing full HD plasma. These brightness advancements can be expected in future product lines from leading DLP HDTV manufacturers.
JVC has announced three new high definition LCD TVs in their Procision range — the 42-inch LT-42X899, the 47-inch LT-47X899 and the 52-inch LT-52X899.
The TVs are powered by JVC's next generation Clear Motion Drive III high definition engine, at the heart of which is their new Genessa 32-bit processor. This should produce more vivid colours and better motion image quality.
The TVs can handle 36-bit image processing, Real Bit Driver technology which takes 8-bit images and applies 12-bit processing to them, i-Clear Motion noise reduction, intelligent gamma correction, and x.v.Colour signal processing.
They also feature 120Hz processing and 24p film mode, three HDMI inputs, and USB port for viewing photos from an attached storage device.
Available from early summer, pricing to be confirmed.
According to JVC, their latest high definition LCD TVs, featuring built-in TV tuners, are currently the world's thinnest sets.
These full 1080p sets will initially come in two screen sizes — 42 and 46 inch.
These TVs have a minimum depth of 39mm, with a maximum depth of 74mm at the panel's centre. They also boast a super-thin bezel.
The slim design was made possible through the use of a new JVC-developed slim panel backlight unit and power supply substrate, or chassis. The new slim LCD panel backlight unit is 40 percent smaller in depth and bezel width compared to a conventional LCD backlight, measuring just 20mm deep and 13mm wide. It weighs only 12kg and consumes just 145W.
More details about these two sets, due to launch in the summer, to follow.
ViewSonic has announced that it's entering the "luxury home theatre lifestyle" category, with the introduction of its Precision Series Pro8100 home theatre projector.
It uses ViewSonic's Precision Colour System to enhance natural colours, with 3D colour management, auto contrast, H-Edge enhancement, 33 levels of gamma correction, and a daylight mode function which adjusts the image based on the amount of ambient light in the room.
The Pro8100 has a Silicon Optix Reon processor with HQV which should help to eliminate feathering artifacts and "jaggies".
A number of leading projector manufacturers and technology providers have united to endorse a new international specification which will standardise the measurement of colour brightness and performance across different video projector hardware.
While black and white measurements are now fairly standard, consumers currently have no easy way of comparing how well projectors handle colour reproduction.
The Colour Brightness measurement will be measured in lumens, and take into account how brightly the three primary colours — red, blue, and green — can be produced.
ViewSonic has announced ten new LCD HDTVs in three series.
The 30 Series features three sets in 15.6, 19, and 22 inch sizes. Very much aimed as a secondary TV and/or PC monitor for smaller living spaces, these shiny black-bezelled TVs offer 1,366x768, 1,440x900, and 1,680x1,050 resolutions, respectively, as low as 5ms response time, and 2,400 dynamic contrast ratio.
Not a huge amount of specs to play with, and I'd be willing to suspect these monitors may not give you the full HD experience. Much better suited as standard definition TVs or PC monitors — apologies if I've just done ViewSonic a disservice.
Panasonic has shown off its latest Blu-ray player, the DMP-BD50, sporting a number of the latest features we've come to expect on high definition disc players.
Specs include full 1080p playback, Dolby TrueHD and DTS-HD Master Audio, 7.1-channel audio, Picture-in-Picture, BD-Live, and Panasonic's VIERA Link.
Image quality should be improved thanks to the PHL Reference Chroma processor and P4HD i/p conversion processor, which combine to create Uniphier, a precise digital video processor that produces sharp, crisp, natural colours that are extremely faithful to the original movie. Uniphier reflects the advance encoding and authoring technologies developed by Panasonic Hollywood Laboratory.
The NB500 series will initially sell in the North American market from the second quarter of 2008, and will support BonusView. Though Funai say that their player "will allow consumers to fully enjoy the Blu-ray Disc HD experience" there are no specifications yet to suggest just how feature-packed the player will be.
Hopefully by the summer a lot more manufacturers will be pushing down the price of their Blu-ray offerings.
Sharp has announced its second generation AQUOS Blu-ray player, the BD-HP50U.
This full 1080p player supports the latest BonusView functions, including picture-in-picture, audio mixing, and external storage, and has been designed specifically for pairing up with an AQUOS telly, though of course it works with any high definition TV via HDMI.
Tech specs include x.c.Colour, Lip Sync correction, Dolby TrueHD and DTS via 7.1-channel HDMI output, Dolby Digital Plus decoding, 24p mode, and Quick Start which boasts under 10-seconds between loading and viewing a disc.
The unit is expected in May, with a suggested price of $699.99.
"We firmly stand behind the HD DVD format as the best choice for consumers. Current reports indicating that Microsoft has a back-up plan, which includes Blu-ray support are incorrect. We’re fully committed to HD DVD and have absolutely no plans to support other optical formats."
Admittedly, that was back in May 2007 and a lot has changed since then.
The latest stance, as if we're surprised, is that Microsoft would consider adopting Blu-ray for the Xbox 360 should consumers choose the format and cause it to "win".
Panasonic has shown off its latest Home Theatre in a Box (HTIB) system, now integrating a Blu-ray player. The SC-BT100 looks to be a 5.1-channel system offering two wireless rear speakers. However, it can also be upgraded to a full 7.1-channel wireless surround system, with the optional purchase of two side speakers and a transceiver.
The Blu-ray Disc player features Final Profile for picture-in-picture and audio mixing functions.
The subwoofer is Kelton-design with a passive radiator and a driver anchored to the cabinet to reduce vibration and noise while delivering more dynamic bass.
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CES 2008 is now over. Here's a roundup of all the high definition-related news from the show.
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A number of leading projector manufacturers and technology providers have united to endorse a new international specification which will standardise the measurement of colour brightness and performance across different video projector hardware.
ViewSonic has announced ten new LCD HDTVs in three series.
Hot on the heels of 
