TVs & Projectors

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Test Report: Vizio E601i-A3 LCD HDTV

A bigscreen LCD that’s also a big deal.
- By Al Griffin
- Posted February 11, 2013
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Black Friday — the day after Thanksgiving, and the biggest shopping day of the year. It’s a day when hordes of Americans head out to the local mall or Walmart, ready to fill their carts and, if necessary, take you out should you stand in the way between them and a good deal. TV maker Vizio has traditionally released a new model or two just in time for Black Friday — often at prices well below the norm for sets in their category/screen size. The E601i-A3, a 60-inch edge-lit LED LCD, was one such special, having reportedly sold for $699 on that day — a price that is, well, insane. But now that the E601i has bobbed back to a more real-world, though still very affordable, $999, it’s time to check out how it stacks up against the competition.

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Get the Big Picture

A guide to buying a projector.
- By Al Griffin
- Posted February 9, 2013
Need a good reason to buy a projector? How about this: Of all the video-display types, projectors provide the biggest image for your buck. Rear-projection TVs, which were once available in screen sizes up to 92 inches, used to be an even more affordable big-screen option, but the last manufacturer with a stake in rear-projector manufacturing, Mitsubishi, recently closed up on that biz.

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We Three Projectors

Putting a trio of 3D contenders from Sony, Epson and JVC to the screen test.
- By Geoffrey Morrison
- Posted February 6, 2013
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Winter is my favorite season, when all the past year’s new flat-panel TVs have been reviewed and I can switch my attention to projectors. This season was particularly bountiful, as I was able to score three of the best projectors on the market for review. Sony’s VPL-HW50ES, plus an Epson and a JVC, all arrived on my doorstep within a few days of one another. Not too shabby, that. Time for a roundup.

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HDTV Preview 2013

A guide to the sets you’re going to want to buy this year.
- By Al Griffin
- Posted January 23, 2013
Our main take-away from the 2013 CES was that this is going to be the year when OLED and 4K-rez “Ultra HD” TVs finally arrive. And by “arrive” I mean sitting in the store, waiting for you to buy ‘em. While this development is no doubt promising, you can also count on the advanced sets scheduled to hit stores later this year being expensive.

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CES 2013: Panasonic 2013 ZT60 vs 2012 VT50

So how much better is it?
- By Geoffrey Morrison
- Posted January 12, 2013
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We loved the VT50, and even gave it our Video Product of the Year award. Panasonic, though, didn’t just update their plasma flagship model, they made a whole new flagship model.
Sure, a bunch of improvements were mentioned, but how much better is the ZT60?
Well, they had a darkened room at their booth with the two side-by-side. Some skepticism and cautious enthusiasm after the jump.

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CES 2013: LG “100-inch Laser TV”

Don’t call it a projector, I guess (but it is)
- By Geoffrey Morrison
- Posted January 12, 2013
In one of the weird niche products LG showed at CES, the HECTO is a laser-based projector with a fixed throw distance. That distance? 22-inches from the lens.
As you can see in the photo, the HECTO is designed to nestle up nearly to the wall, and project a distortion-free 100-inch, 16x9 image.
A few more details after the jump.

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CES 2013: Panasonic Previews Pretty Plasmas (likewise, LED LCDs)

Lots o’sizes, Lots o’models
- By Geoffrey Morrison
- Posted January 9, 2013
There’s a few big headlines right off the top. The first, Panasonic’s entire LCD line now uses LEDs for backlighting. The second, no more GT Series on the plasma side. The third, a new ZT Series slots in above the once-top-of-the-line VT Series. All the models and features after the jump.
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CES 2013: Sony Press Event

More ways to get 4K
- By Al Griffin
- Posted January 8, 2013
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Breaking with tradition, Sony’s press event at CES was a celeb-free affair. No Will Smith, no Taylor Swift, no that guy who acted in the most recent Spider-Man movie. The star of the show was clearly the company’s new Xperia Z smartphone, but I’m not going to talk about that. What I am going to discuss is 4K, aka “Ultra HD,” as the rest of the industry seems to be calling it.

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CES 2013: Sharp Stays Big

You have to respect a company whose smallest announced TV is 60 inches.
- By Geoffrey Morrison
- Posted January 7, 2013
Sharp wanted to be the name in massive flat panel TVs, and that it achieved. With other companies “making do” with 65-inch TVs, Sharp’s 70-, 80-, and 90-inch models make them seem puny.
Lots of models, after the jump.

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CES 2013, Day One: LG Press Event

LG's TVs: smarter, faster, flatter, and higher-rez
- By Al Griffin
- Posted January 7, 2013
For me, LG’s CES press conference was an anti-climax: The company had already announced its 2013 TV and Blu-ray/audio offerings in a conference call a few weeks prior to the event. The upside was I didn’t have to take many notes —something that’s not always easy to do at 8 a.m. when you’re jet-lagged. Here are the highlights.
Smart TV

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Review: ViewSonic Pro9000 LED/Laser Hybrid Projector

LEDs AND Lasers
- By Geoffrey Morrison
- Posted December 31, 2012
Can I like the idea of a thing, better than the thing? This is the question I’m pondering as I write up this admittedly cool LED/laser hybrid projector from ViewSonic. Instead of UHP lamps or even “regular” LEDs, the Pro9000 adds a laser to the mix, because ... well because it’s cool, right?
While it gets an “A” on the technology front, its performance grade is notably lower.

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DIY Theater Check

Simple and affordable ways to help enhance your home theater experience. (You’re very welcome.)
- By John Sciacca
- Posted December 25, 2012
For those of us without six figures of disposable funds, there are still some ways to improve a home theater/media room that don’t involve organ donation or a potential divorce. Here are some simple, won’t-break-the-bank enhancements that you can do on your own.

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