Samsung

In a classic battle between Korea and Japan, Sony and Samsung are fighting to be first. First to have a 200Hz LCD TV, that is. It's a also a matter of semantics. Samsung had the world's first prototype, but it's looking like Sony is going to be selling one first. They previewed the Sony Bravia Z4500 LCD at IFA.

Want even more confusion?

Wednesday and Thursday, Samsung held a showcase of new products on New York's west side. I attended the shindig, and got a good look at some of the company's new and upcoming home theater products. The biggest pieces of gear was Samsung's new Series 9 950 LED-lit LCD TVs.

On February 17, 2009, the entire fleet of RVs, all 8 million of them, will be thrown into disarray. Campers and retirees from Happy Isles campground in Yosemite, to the Wal-Mart parking lot in Yonkers, will run into the streets in full panic mode, because the old analog TVs built into their RVs will not be able to tune into Matlock reruns.

The Korea Times is reporting that Samsung and LG will stop making Blu-ray/HD DVD combo players. This is another blow to the fast-sinking HD DVD luxury liner.

In the ongoing battle to lure consumers away from their PCs, TiVo has become the latest consumer electronics company to announce plans to bring Internet-based video content into the living room.