Those are the questions that have been surrounding the rumored (at this point mythic) Apple HDTV. Yearly predictions about the manufacture and shipping of an Apple ‘iTV‘ have repeatedly been proven false.

Last year, cable companies were (plausibly) blamed for the product’s delay after pressing for a large amount of control over content during negotiations with Apple.

At the beginning of 2013, analysts began switching up their game, predicting that the iTV would not be appearing during the coming year.

This week, Topeka Capital Markets analyst Brian White has been quoted by BGR as saying, once again, that the iTV will launch in the second half of 2013.

The analyst states the HDTV will 60 inches, with smaller sizes also available. He goes on to speculate that the device will come with an “iRing” finger interface device for the TV and a portable 9.7-inch tablet-like “mini-iTV” which can display content from the larger screen. White prices the TV set packages at around $1,500 to $2,500.

So, those are the latest rumors about the fabled “iTV.” There’s even a possibility that they could even be accurate this time, but gamblers would be wise to place their bets elsewhere. The Brian White who outlined this week’s rumors is the same Brian White who relayed rumors that Sharp would begin shipping LCD display panels to Foxconn at the end of last summer.

NPD has just published their latest application usage numbers for Netflix Instant and it shows exactly which types of screens are popular, and which really aren’t. As you may expect, watching Netflix on an HDTV screen is very popular. Of those surveyed, 40% stream Netflix to their televisions.

In second place is the trusty computer, which saw 14% of respondents claim as their viewing medium.

Only 13% said they watch Netflix on a tablet, and 8% said they watch it on a smartphone. Honestly, I’m surprised that latter figure is even as high as it is.

That signals a pretty big shift. According to NPD,

“Twenty-one percent of connected TV owners said they migrated from using over-the-top (OTT) video services on the computer and now watch on the TV instead.”

As you would expect, the majority of Netflix streamers are younger. 51% of those who watch Netflix on an HDTV are between the ages of 18 and 34.

[NPD via Engadget]

LG announced today that its 55-inch OLED TV will begin shipping to the U.S. in March of this year. The television is razor thin at only 0.16 inches, and is incredibly light at 22 pounds. The OLED display also provides the best image quality currently available on televisions.

“We are extremely pleased to be able to make this announcement at the start of the new year because we believe that OLED will usher in a whole new era of home entertainment,” said Havis Kwon, President and CEO of LG’s Home Entertainment Company. “Not since color TV was first introduced 60 years ago has there been a more transformational moment. When high definition TV was first introduced 15 years ago, the public’s reaction was ‘wow!’ but when customers see our razor-thin OLED TV for the first time, they’re left speechless. That’s a clear indicator as any that OLED TV is much more than just an incremental improvement to current television technology.”

It’s hard to say how popular OLED TVs will be in the coming year especially with its high price of entry. Engadget reports that the 55-inch model will retail for $12,000 while there’s no price set for the 65-inch model just yet. It’s also unlikely to do well in its first year because most consumers are presumably happy with their LED televisions.

For those who can afford the television, have fun being the envy of your neighbors. While you’re at it, you might as well pick up Lenovo’s 27-inch tablet just to show off.

According to a new report from DigiTimes today, Apple has been trying to buy OLED panels from Samsung and LG, and have not met with much success. Both companies debuted remarkable new OLED and AMOLED based HDTVs at this year’s CES conference. Though it may be disappointing to Apple, it’s not all that surprising that they wouldn’t be eager to share. Apple’s iTV has been generating massive amounts of buzz despite still being little more than a rumor. If Apple really is working on it, as seems likely, it would be a major competitor to Samsung’s and LG’s newest and best products. It stands to reason that they would want to keep the core technology of those products under wraps, at least for a little while.

While rumors of a release date for an iTV have been vague at best, many have suggested that the device would launch in the second half of 2012. If Apple is indeed having difficulty securing display panels, that could be a significant setback that could push any release date into 2013 or later.

The survey revealed that 8% of customers want to buy a new television before the Super Bowl. Surprisingly, of those who bought a new TV last year for the game, over half of them plan on buying an even newer television for this year.

It seems a bigger and better picture quality trumps the actual live game; why chance sitting in the nose bleed section when you can almost be on the field with a high-def TV set? 25% of those surveyed said the size of their TV depended on how pleasurable their viewing experiences would be. According to consumers, high resolution is the most important factor when purchasing a new TV; sound quality even came in second to picture quality. According to Jeff Haynes:

“Bigger is better. The reason people are spending more is they are upgrading the size of their television. Consumers have moved from wanting televisions around 42 inches to now buying 46 inches to 55 inches, the TV has become the center piece of the American family room and the difference in just a few more inches is noticeable.”

As online shopping gains momentum, in-store television buying is on the decline. The survey say 67% of people planning to buy a tv before the big game, plan on purchasing theirs online rather than the old fashioned store.

According to a new infographic from NM Incite and Oxford Communications, mRoby wasn’t the only company whose plan to bring in a big name backfired (Bieber was reportedly paid $100,000 for his appearance). While the celebrities who put in appearances at CES generated a lot of buzz, almost all of it was about the celebrities themselves. Of all the tweets mentioning celebrities at CES, a paltry 15% included any reference to the brand or product they were there to promote.

The infographic also includes some other interesting tidbits about CES. Apparently Samsung was the most talked-about brand, while tablets were the most talked-about products (followed by smart phones and TVs). Check out the full infographic below and let us know what you think in the comments.

There has been no shortage of amazing things on display at this year’s Consumer Electronics Show. The unofficial themes of the show this year have been TVs and thinner gadgets. Some of the biggest buzz, though, has come from Samsung’s new 55-inch Super OLED. This remarkable HDTV is made with OLED pixels, each of which emits its own light and consists of RGB subpixels, promising a sharper image than has been possible with previous HDTVs.

In addition to the positive buzz it has generated, the new TV has garnered a slew of awards. According to a Samsung press release the accolades include Popular Science’s Best of CES 2012: Products of the Future award, G4 TV’s Best of the Best Products, Stuff Magazine’s CES Hot Stuff Award, and CES’s own Best of CES Innovations 2012 in the Video Displays category.

Samsung showed off the TV at their press conference and made highlights available on YouTube. Check out the video embedded below and let us know what you think in the comments.

[Source: Samsung Press Release] ]]> http://www.webpronews.com/ces-2012-samsung-oled-awards-2012-01/feed 2 http://www.webpronews.com/ces-2012-atlona-linkcast-2012-01 http://www.webpronews.com/ces-2012-atlona-linkcast-2012-01#comments Wed, 11 Jan 2012 21:27:44 +0000 Shaylin Clark http://www.webpronews.com/?p=88699 Atlona, a company that specializes in digital connectivity technology, announced their new LinkCast system today at CES. The system, which has won an Innovations Design and Engineering Award, transmits HD video signal wirelessly and seamlessly from a variety of devices to users’ HDTV. The basic system consists of a base station that connects to the TV’s HDMI port, and a System Expander that connects to the HDMI port of an outgoing device – game console, Blu-ray player, tablet, PC, etc.

The LinkCast system promises to radically simplify the experience of connecting devices to TVs, and to eliminate the bundles of cords sticking out of the back of so many of our entertainment systems. The video signal is transmitted in resolutions up to 1080p with latency of less than a millisecond. The LinkCast system will be available in February. The basic system – Base Station and System Expander – costs $299.99. Additional System Expanders will sell for $119.

Geekbeat.tv caught up with Atlona at CES and got a demonstration of the system. Check out the video below and let us know what you think in the comments.

[Source: Atlona Press Release]

Meanwhile, there are products from Samsung, Sony, Vizio, and more still in the pipeline. Last week Google made an announcement about the new partnerships, and published a video showcasing some of the new features coming to a Google TV near you. Check out the video below, and let us know what you think in the comments.

Retrovo’s data reflects this in a number of ways. First is TV selling price. While certain “name brands” like Sony or Samsung used to command a significantly higher price than “off brands” like Vizio, that is no longer the case. This study shows that the selling price for Sony’s TVs is now roughly comparable to Vizio’s:

Second, and perhaps more telling, is user ratings. The study compares user ratings across major HDTV brands, and finds very little difference. While Samsung is the closest thing to a clear leader the data shows, Samsung TVs are only rated 3% higher than Vizio and LG, which are tied for second place. The lowest rated brand is Sony, but Sony TVs are only rated 2% lower than the next lowest brand, Panasonic, and only 6% lower than the “leader,” Samsung.

More and more, the study says, TV makers are turning to connectivity as a way to differentiate their products. Nearly half of all TVs above 37 inches included internet connectivity of some kind – usually to video services like Netflix, Hulu, or Amazon instant video, or audio services like Pandora. This, however, may not be enough according to the study. As the focus on internet connectivity in the TV market intensifies, the study predicts that software makers like Google, Apple, and Microsoft are well positioned to become major players in the television market. The study specifically cites recent rumors of Apple’s iTV, which may or may not be headed for a late 2012 release. With software makers treating the HDTV the way they’ve been treating the mobile phone – as a platform for software development – they stand to revolutionize the HDTV industry, and leave more traditional TVs in the dust.

What do you think? Are we on the brink of a TV revolution? Sound off in the comments.

[Source: Retrovo Blog]