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Archive for February, 2008

Ask the Editors: Why don’t video recorders have HDMI inputs?

Posted by John P. Falcone on February 22nd, 2008

Toshiba D-R550 back panel

DVD recorders have HDMI out, but not HDMI in. Why the disparity?

(Credit: Crutchfield)

CNET reader "deesmac" asks:

Why doesn't a DVD recorder have an HDMI in, as well as an HDMI out?

It's a great question. High-Definition Multimedia Interface provides the advantage of passing a high-bandwidth all-digital high-definition video and audio signal on a single cable, as opposed to the tangle of component video plus audio cables that were required for HD. (If those terms are Greek to you, check out the connectivity section of the CNET TV Buying Guide.) HDMI is now the standard connector for HDTVs and all of the HD-capable components that connect to them--DVD players and recorders, DVRs, game consoles, Blu-ray and HD DVD players, and even camcorders and PCs. But all of those are video sources that only have HDMI outputs. You'll find HDMI inputs only on AV receivers, HDMI switchers, and--of course--TVs. So, why the disparity?

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The latest TV fashion may be bleached

Posted by Mike Yamamoto on February 21st, 2008
(Credit: Pocket-lint)

There's not much that can (or should) be done to create an entirely new design for an LCD or plasma TV without ruining its clean and sleek look. They basically are limited by the same constraints as handheld devices with large touch screens--a lack of unused real estate....

Feds to start mailing digital-TV upgrade funds

Posted by Anne Broache on February 15th, 2008

If you're among the 2.4 million Americans who have already applied for government subsidies to offset the cost of a forced digital television upgrade, you should be receiving that voucher soon.

Next week, the U.S. Department of Commerce plans to start mailing out the $40 coupons, which ...

LG struts TVs on London runway

Posted by Mike Yamamoto on February 15th, 2008

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(Credit: LG)

Front

(Credit: LG)

If anyone cared enough to wonder why LG was showing off its latest LCD TVs at London Fashion Week, one look at them will provide the answer.

The company provided an early peek at its "Super Slim" line at CES last month, startling Crave ...

Wii-proofing Panasonic’s plasma TVs

Posted by Ian Morris on February 14th, 2008
(Credit: Crave UK) At its 2008 product showcase in Valencia, Panasonic revealed that every year some people manage to hurl their Wii controllers at their expensive flat-panel TVs. Anyone who reads gadget sites will have read these tales of woe and possibly even seen the photos. The good news is ...