Vizio does 4K at 65 and 70 inches

LAS VEGAS--Today Vizio announced that it would join the other big TV makers in offering a 4K television in 2013. Its XVT series will ship sometime this summer, and currently the company says it will include 65- and 70-inch members.

UHD/4K in this case means a pixel count of 3,840x2,160 -- four times as many pixels as today's 1080p TVs. The advantage, according to its proponents, is an even sharper picture. One problem, according to us, is that you'll have to sit very close, especially to a screen this small, to appreciate the difference. There … Read more

Roku surpasses 700 channels, adds Roku Ready TV partners

LAS VEGAS--Roku has no new hardware here at CES 2013, but that's not stopping the company from building on its success: content, content, content. The company just crossed the 700-channel benchmark for its line of smart TV boxes, and it's got even more new services on deck for 2013.

Among the new channels that Roku is planning to add (in the territories indicated) in the first quarter of 2013:

TWC TV: This app adds upwards of 300 live streaming TV channels for existing Time Warner Cable subscribers at no additional charge. (U.S. only) Fox Now: This is … Read more

Samsung at 2013 CES: Join us Monday, 2 p.m. PT (live blog)

LAS VEGAS--All eyes will be on Samsung during the company's press conference at the 2013 International CES. The event kicks off at 2 p.m. PT (5 p.m. ET) on Monday, and CNET will be there to cover it live. We'll have a live video stream, along with a live blog chock full of news and analysis, as it happens.

You can tune in to the blog and video stream here:

CNET's live coverage of Samsung's 2013 CES press conference

Samsung is expected to show plenty of TVs and home theater products. The company late … Read more

Panasonic at CES 2013: Join us Monday, 10 a.m. PT (live blog)

The consumer electronics world will be focused on Panasonic during its press conference at the 2013 International CES. The event begins at 10 a.m. PT (1 p.m. ET) on Monday, January 7, and CNET will be there covering it live. We'll have a live video stream and a blog filled with news, photos, and analysis, as it happens.

You can tune in to the blog and video stream here:

CNET's live coverage of Panasonic's CES 2013 press conference

Sharp at CES 2013: Join us Monday, 9 a.m. PT (live blog)

When it comes to TVs, Sharp's latest mantra has been "bigger is better." We'll see how big they can get at the company's CES 2013 press conference. The event starts at 9 a.m. PT on Monday, January 7, and CNET will be there to cover it live. We have a live video stream, along with a live blog of news and analysis, as it happens.

You can tune in to the blog and video stream here:

CNET's live coverage of Sharp's 2013 CES press conference

Sharp went big last year at CES, … Read more

Samsung Evolution Kit makes smart TVs smarter

Last year Samsung promised that certain of its 2012 Smart TVs would get an upgrade called a "Smart Evolution Kit," and now the company announced the upgrade would be available soon.

Buyers of the LED-based UN75ES9000, UNES8000, and UNES7500 LED TVs, as well as the PNE8000 and PNE7000 plasmas, will be able to buy the kit for $299 in May. It installs by simply sliding into a slot on the back of the TVs.

The kit is basically a brain transplant for the TVs. It includes a new A15 quad-core 1.35GHz processor that offers a maximum 3.… Read more

LG's $12K OLED TV ships in March

LAS VEGAS--Today LG announced it would make the first 55-inch OLED TV available to the public in the Unites States this March for a cost of around $12,000.

The announcement follows one made January 2, when the company said the TV would hit South Korea first in February. I expect LG too announce additional markets for the futuristic TV, such as Europe, soon.

The television, model 55EM9700, is the successor to the 55EM9600 that won CNET's highest honor at the Consumer Electronics Show in January 2012 but never actually shipped.

The two TVs are similar in every important … Read more

Westinghouse to show 110-inch 4K TV at CES

Even if you believe that 4K TVs are stupid, like we do, that won't stop manufacturers from churning out numerous examples of the shiny new, higher-resolution TVs at the Consumer Electronics Show next month.

Tied for the biggest we've heard of so far is the 110-inch 4K LED TV announced by Westinghouse yesterday.

That size will join 50-, 55-, and 65-inch 4K models in the company's booth. Few other details, aside from a 120Hz refresh rate and shipping information, were revealed. The 110-incher will be available as a custom order in the first quarter, says the company, … Read more

LG pops out improved Magic Motion remote

LG has unleashed its newest Magic Motion remote control weeks ahead of the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas and it includes several improvements such as natural voice recognition and even backlighting.

The new television remote now uses four methods of control -- voice, gesture, point, and wheel -- and while the wheel was introduced this year, gestures and "natural" speech are new.

LG is taking on Samsung with its new natural speech feature; while Samsung users have to say "Hi, TV" to get the television to register, LG claims that phrases like "Show me '… Read more