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Archive for May, 2008

Panasonic plasma TV streams YouTube, accesses Picasa photos

Posted by David Katzmaier on May 20th, 2008

YouTube and Picasa services are available right from the TV in Panasonic's flagship TH-PZ850U.

(Credit: Masa Fukata, Panasonic)

We detailed Panasonic's full plasma lineup earlier this year, but having just returned from a press event devoted to the flagship TH-PZ850U series, it feels incumbent to reiterate some of the cool new features of these expensive sets.

The coolest? A demo at the event proved that the 850Us can stream YouTube videos, right on the TV screen with no PC required. The TV's "Viera Cast" interface allows you to search YouTube by keyword, sort videos by popularity, or access your own list of favorite videos, for example. During the demo we were treated to a video of a laughing baby, the (no-surprise) current champ of the popularity list. According to Panasonic, the entire catalog of YouTube videos is available on the TV, although it may take a day or two for a new one on the site to appear on Viera Cast. The TV can also access Picasa, Google's photo sharing site, so you can view digital photos stored at your (or someone else's) Picasa account directly on the big screen.

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Is ESPN’s new WiFi universal remote the ultimate?

Posted by David Carnoy on May 20th, 2008

ESPN brings its venerable brand to consumer electronics.

(Credit: espnremote.com)

We got an email today announcing that ESPN's WiFi remote was going on sale just in time for Father's Day. The remote is simply called ESPN The Ultimate Remote, which shouldn't be confused with another heady

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LG Scarlet: Irritating marketing campaign

Posted by Ian Morris on May 20th, 2008
(Credit: Crave UK)

If you've been tramping around the Internet much recently you will almost certainly have seen adverts about a hit new TV show called Scarlet. It turns out that there was no hit show at all, and it was all a big publicity stunt for a new ...

A 102-inch HDTV for the backyard

Posted by Mike Yamamoto on May 20th, 2008
(Credit: Suntronic)

Outdoor TV screens are hard enough to see as it is, and the last thing you need is to be squinting at a 32-inch LCD. Suntronic understands that problem, which is why it offers all-weather HDTVs in sizes up to 102 inches.

Not only are they large, but ...

Best Buy challenges FCC over analog TV sales penalty

Posted by Erica Ogg on May 19th, 2008

The FCC says Best Buy and other retailers must pay more than $3 million in fines for selling analog TVs without labels that explain the sets won't work after the digital TV switchover next February.

In a 41-page legal document filed last week (and dug up by Ars Technica), ...