We know the Cannes Film Festival is all about the celebs, but we're pretty big fans of the gear, too. And in that department, it looks like Harman International has scored again this year. Four screening rooms in the Hotel Gray d'Albion will be graced by JBL Synthesis SK2-1000 speakers and S1S-EX subs; a fifth screening room will be treated with JBL Project Array 1000 speakers and a 1500 Array sub. Rounding out the hat trick, Harman Kardon electronics and AKG headphones will be used in screening rooms and VOD booths at the festival. If you're going to Cannes (lucky dog), check out the Synthesis systems; if you're suitably impressed that you want to get a setup of your own (now we're drooling), you'll have to contact your regional Synthesis rep. Be prepared to give them the approximate volume of your listening room -- it'll help them point you towards a system.

Yeah, Samsung already had your heart with the 40-, 46- and 52-inch versions of the PAVV Cannes 650 plasma, but for folks relegated to a 50- or 58-inch model, you were left high and dry -- until now. Sammy has just dropped off two new members of the family in South Korea, both featuring Cell Light Control, DNIepro (Digital Natural Image engine-pro), a purported 1,000,000:1 contrast ratio, USB port and four HDMI sockets. As for the small(er) guy, you can grab it now in Korea for ₩3,000,000 ($2,970), while the 58-inch monolith will set you back ₩4,900,000 ($4,851). Per usual, mum's the word on these coming Stateside.

[Via AVING]

It looks like Samsung has managed to squeeze a bit more than buzzwords into its "Cannes" line of plasma TVs, with the company adding some Bluetooth functionality to its new 50-inch model (the SPD-50P91FHD). According to Samsung, that makes this the world's first Bluetooth certified TV, letting you getting some additional use out of your wireless headset and printer (among other peripherals). The TV itself also looks to be impressive enough, boasting a full 1080p resolution and packing ACAP support for some two-way data broadcasting. Like the other sets in the line, this one's exclusive to the Korean market for the time being, where it'll set you back 4,300,000 won, or about $4,640.

[Via AVING]

Samsung is tossing in all the PR speak for these new Cannes plasma displays it's busting out. Terms like "Ultra DayLight," "Natural True Color," and "Real Motion Studio" are all well and good, but we're glad to see there are some specs to back 'em up. Both of the new PAVV Cannes displays boast a range of 1,000:1 to 15,000:1 contrast ratios, 18 bit color and blur-free image thanks to that "Real Motion" stuff. Samsung is generous with the sizes as well, offering up 42-inch, 50-inch and 63-inch displays. Unfortunately, while all of these TVs are designed around movies -- they're named after the Cannes Film Festival, after all -- only the 63-inch SPD-63P71FHD looks to support a full 1080p resolution. The SPD-42Q92HD and SPD-50Q92HD also-rans go for 2,100,000 won and 3,400,000 won, respectively ($2,239 and $3,624), while the 63-incher will run you a spankin' 9,000,000 won ($9,594). No word on when exactly these will be hitting the market.

[Via AVING]

NME, the same company that recently claimed to solve the Blu-ray / HD DVD debate by creating a disc that holds both, has now specifics of, and hardware for, its alternative HD format. VMD is targeted as a low cost high definition DVD, using red lasers -- just like DVD and CD -- instead of the blue lasers in Blu-ray and HD DVD. Much delayed, the standalone player is now expected to launch at CES in January, with a price of just $175, compared to the $500+ price of competing formats. With all the major studios backing Blu-ray and/or HD DVD, we hope you like Bollywood's greatest hits and old Broadway performances, as NME is targeting Eastern markets first. Unlike the US, Video CDs and other delivery options have flourished alongside DVD internationally and VMD hopes to take the same route for HD. No word on if it has achieved the multilayer 100GB+ discs promised, but at this price, we'll keep an eye out for NME in Las Vegas.