Bang & Olufsen announced today that they are re-releasing their BeoVision 7-40 HDTV. But the TV will receive two new upgrades, 3D technology and an integrated Blu-ray player. The 40 inch plasma is capable of displaying a 1200:1 contrast ratio and full HD (1920 x 1080) resolution. “The fact that you can select a solution where the 3D Blu-ray player is built-in is rather unique and Bang & Olufsen is one of the very few companies in the world who offers that,” states Ole Moltsen, Senior Product Manager from Bang & Olufsen. “3D functionality is in increasing demand right now where Hollywood as well as the gaming industry is starting to produce more material suited for 3D viewing. At the same time, more and more TV channels – in particular sports channels – are beginning to broadcast for example important football matches from Premier League in 3D. However, the quality of the 2D experience is just as important because it is still what our customers will use the most.” The company did not announce if the price would change or not.

[via Flatpanels HD]

The Boxee Box is one of the most popular set-top-boxes available. Today the company announced that the Boxee will receive its first internet app with the Slingplayer App. This app will allow viewers to watch your own TV channels on a Boxee Box no matter where it is located. All it will require is an internet connection. What is more enticing is that the app is free to download.

[via Flatpanels HD]

Recently, it was announced that LG and Samsung would be unveiling new big screen OLED TVs at CES. Today, Samsung confirmed these rumors by making an official announcement. Yoon Boo-keun, president of Samsung’s TV division announced that the company will launch their first OLED TV at CES 2012, in January. The company has been testing a new 55” OLED prototype and will be unveiling it at the convention. Additional information is not available at the moment and will probably be kept secret until the convention starts. OLED screens have been rare in the industry due to their high manufacturing cost.

[via Flatpanels HD]

If you want the best way to link your smart phone with your HDTV, then you might be interested in the new xBounds stick. The product was created by Dream Chip technologies and includes a tiny stick that connects to your HDTV and links to your smart phone via Wi-Fi connection. Once the connection is made, users can view their phone’s screen from their HDTV, providing a much larger display from which to play games, view media, and more. The product is not released just yet, but it will be available soon.

[via Engadget]

Many manufacturers believe that the ultimate goal of 3D technology with HDTVs is to create displays that do not require 3D glasses in order for viewers to see 3D content. According to Sony’s Gulf managing director, Osamu Miura, the company plans to release their first glasses-free 3DTV within the next 3-4 years. “Research is progressing on glasses-free 3D TVs that offer better picture quality, OLED TVs that provide brighter, crisper picture while consuming less power, and 4K technology consumer products which deliver four times the resolution of High Definition (HD),” he explained. “We already have the technology for glasses-free 3D TVs and a competitor has launched a product. The technology is being used in our 3D handycam, but it is a very small LCD, if you want to enjoy it on a big screen, it takes time. The current technology cannot satisfy the demand of people, so we are developing it further.”

[via Gulf Times]

One of this year’s new 3DTVs from Sony is the KDL-46HX923. This device measures 46 inches, diagonally and has full HD (1920 x 1080) resolution and LED technology. Today, the writers from Trusted Reviews released their review of this particular device. The writers thought that TV’s design was very nice and complimented the thin bezel. The writers thought that the TV provided a superb image quality and didn’t have any major problems with the quality. However, the writers did think that the retail price was rather high. In the end, the final verdict was, “There are times when we loved the 46HX923, as it served up pictures of rare punch, sharpness and vibrancy. At its best the 46HX923 is comfortably Sony’s best-performing set of 2011, and so we hope Sony perseveres with direct LED technology in 2012. We’re big fans of Sony’s BIV online system too, and the free PS3 deal in place at the time of writing is a boon. Ultimately, though, when you’re talking about a flagship 46in TV costing more than £1600 even after the current £150 cashback offer has been taken into account, the appearance of at times quite severe crosstalk with 3D is unfortunate to say the least, and the slight cloudy haloes around bright objects and vague lines down the picture’s sides don’t help either.”

[via Trusted Reviews]

Sony recently completed their first ever TV intimacy poll. The poll received answers from over 2000 adults from the USA and was created to get vital information regarding viewing habits. According to the study, 62% of Americans spend over three hours each day watching TV. But what is more interesting is that many of that 62% are ready to give up watching TV because their model is too small. 53% of those who answered the survey stated that they will be dropping their current TV for one that better suits their needs. “In the same way friends and family would encourage a loved one to leave an unfulfilling relationship, we at Sony want to urge TV consumers to take advantage of the holiday buying season to date around,” said Jennifer Sassen, vice president brand activation at Sony Electronics. “Happiness is something you can’t put a value on, so it’s worth it to see if there’s other ‘fish in the sea.’ Sony Stores are a great place to test the waters and find a better fit for your lifestyle.”

[via Market Watch]

Black Friday is fast approaching and all the companies are announcing their deals. Among them is Samsung who unveiled that their products will be on sale from November 20th to the 28th. The company will have many products on sale, including Blu-ray players, HDTVs, audio systems, digital cameras, camcorders, and solid state drive models. Several of this year’s HDTVs will be going on sale, including TVs from the D6003, D5003, D490, and the D430 series. “When consumers go out for Black Friday, consumer electronics are at the top of their shopping list,” said Joseph Stinziano, senior vice president of home entertainment marketing at Samsung Electronics America. “Through these offerings, Samsung is allowing more people to experience the latest innovations across home and consumer technology, including elegant product design and immersive entertainment with more than 1,000 Samsung Apps for Smart TV.”

[via Samsung]

Samsung is the world’s top TV maker. Today, the company announced that they are in the final stages in order to integrate the new version of the Google TV platform into upcoming HDTVs. The Google TV platform allowed users to receive online content just as easily as any computer could access it. But the platform was shot down by network providers and in doing so, the platform lost popularity quickly. But Google will be announcing an updated version next year at CES and hopefully Samsung will be joining them in this announcement. We will not know until it gets closer to the date.

[via Reuters]

One of the new HDTVs from Toshiba is the 32UL863B. This 32 inch TV comes with full HD (1920 x 1080) resolution and a 4000:1 contrast ratio. Today, Trusted Reviews published their review of this TV. The writers liked how slim the TV was, measuring 1.1 inches thick. Another aspect they liked was the online capabilities, which they thought added a personal touch to the TV. The writers did have a few problems with the TV, like poor black levels. They also did not like the performance of standard definition content. But in the end, the writers concluded, “The 32UL863 is altogether a more engaging option than its bigger 46UL863 sibling, thanks in particular to its less extreme backlight consistency flaws and the fact that its smaller screen isn’t quite as revealing of other issues. But its Places online system is still behind rival systems, and it’s still not quite good enough in the black level and standard def departments to deserve an unqualified recommendation.”

[via Trusted Reviews]