Television

VIZIO XVT (Xtreme VIZIO Technology) Series HDTVs are now on general release. They feature the latest in picture quality in the sleekest designs. The range includes five screen sizes: 32 inch, 37 inch, 42 inch, 47 inch and 55 inch, the XVT553SV, XVT473SV and XVT423AV offer an unprecedented 10,000,000:1 contrast ratio. Included in all XVT Models is the VIZIO Internet Apps, with integrated Dual Band 802.11n Wi-Fi wireless networking and for added comfort a Bluetooth/IR remote with slide out QWERTY keypad.

The Skyworth LED TV was unveiled at this year’s Red Dot Design competition, and is featured as on e of the best of the best of Red Dot.  It is described by its designers as a product that adjusts itself to the environment of the user.  The screen can be detached from the base for those of us who wants to hang it on the wall.  When hanging on the wall, the base can be set apart as a standalone speaker, allowing the Skyworth to be used according to how you want to enjoy it.

TransGraming and Metrological announced plans to globally deploy GameTreeTV, a broadband based On-Demand games platform available to consumers through their Intel® CE Media Processor powered set-top box or other consumer electronics device. The partnership is geared towards managed service operators and cable operators, who want to offer video games to their customers as part of a fully integrated digital entertainment solution.

Best Buy and TiVo announced that Best Buy exclusive television brand Insignia will be shipping with TiVo software and advanced television services already built in.  By embedding the TiVo software into the televisions will give Insignia customers an intuitive user experience for accessing online content by utilizing TiVo’s non-DVR software and advance television software, said both companies.

Last week Bang & Olufsen launched their BeoVision 8 40-inch Television in the US, for those of us who want a televison  that is affordable and has some of the latest features. The new BeoVision 8 does just that, it combines a technologically advanced home cinema viewing experience with design and functionality. It includes double frame rate technology, also known as 240Hz, with motion compensation and advance contrasting picture quality.

Seagate has upgraded its popular FreeAgent Theater+ HD Media Player to include streaming.  Owners of FreeAgent Theater+ HD Media Player with membership on Netflix can now download/stream content straight from Netflix, to a connected television.  The upgrade is available as free firmware download to existing FreeAgent Theater+ HD Media Player owners from Seagate.com.

The Mitsubishi Digital Electronics Diamond models of 1080p Unisen Immersive Sound LCD Televisions are now shipping with VUDU integrated. According to Mitsubishi Digital Electronics America, the integration gives consumer the opportunity to experience the seamless delivery of thousands of high-definition movies and TV shows.

OpenTV will be demonstrating some of its next generation television solutions at this year’s IBC show at the RAI in Amsterdam.  The solutions are designed to allow service providers to cost-effectively deploy advanced television services and enable a next generation digital television experience, the solutions allow operators to provide their subscribers with a unique and robust viewing experience enabling the effective discovery and viewing of the content they want to watch.

OpenTV Corp., a leading software and technology provider of advanced digital television solutions, and Jinni, the developers of a unique personalized discovery engine for premium content, are bringing next generation search and recommendation functionality to the television that will allow viewers to find the content they want quickly and intuitively. The feature is expected to be part of the latest release of OpenTV Core2™ middleware which will be available in the fourth quarter of 2009.

The Challenging market condition at the moment represents different things to different businesses.  For Cisco it could be coincidental or deliberate that they seem to be refocusing on customer’s homes rather than their business network equipment.  According to The Mercury News website Cisco is working with phone and cable carriers on products and services that let consumers hold video conferences through their televisions, see Cisco to use Medianet to Deliver Next Generation Connected Life at Home Solution.