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NEC preps latest pro display, the X461HB "high-bright" LCD

by Richard Lawler posted May 12th 2009 at 7:21AM


For those with professional-grade demands on their LCDs, NEC is launching the latest addition to the MultiSync line, the 46-inch X461HB high-bright display. So named because of its 1500 cd/m² brightness and 3500:1 contrast ratio, it's 110% brighter than NEC's previous efforts, though not quite as eyeball searing as Samsung's 70-inch Super Bright champ. Still, if these specs and a 1360 x 768 res fit the bill for your brightly lit commercial application, it's just $3,899 and shipping in July.

Samsung's 46-inch 460UTn completes that flush, in-wall monitor look

by Darren Murph posted Mar 27th 2009 at 3:34AM


Looking for a unique, specialized LCD TV to fit flush in a recessed wall? Would you say "yes" if you could barely see the bezel, adding to that TV-in-the-wall look? Samsung sure hopes so, as it's pushing out its 46-inch 460UTn with an ultrathin bezel that's just 4.3 millimeters thick on the left and 2.4 millimeters on the right. The screen also includes Sammy's ID 2 solution, which enables smooth transitions between screens, resulting in a more "natural look and feel of videos." Specs wise, we're told that the set has a WXGA resolution (1,366 x 768), 700 nits of brightness, a contrast ratio of 3,000:1 and VGA / DVI / BNC / composite / RS-232 inputs. Mum's the word on price, but we're guessing somewhere between "expensive" and "you don't even want to know."

Gallery: Samsung's 46-inch 460UTn completes that flush, in-wall monitor look

SoBe's 3D Super Bowl commercial available now on YouTube HD

by Darren Murph posted Feb 1st 2009 at 11:36AM


Yeah, today's big game is but hours away, but if you're itching to put those newfangled 3D goggles to use beforehand, you're in luck. Reindeer has hosted up tonight's 3D SoBe ad on YouTube in high-def, and folks with those glasses -- which can supposedly still be picked up at hard-to-miss kiosks in grocery outlets and retail stores if any stock remains -- can tap the read link to have a look right now. Obviously we wouldn't do so if you're not much on spoilers, but we're betting your curiosity is going to get the best of you. Once you've watched, chime in below with your thoughts on the quality. Fair? Great? Just plain gimmicky?

Super Bowl XLIII to boast interactive commercials

by Darren Murph posted Dec 8th 2008 at 2:07PM


For years now, companies have sought to produce the most engaging advertisement on the eve of the Super Bowl here in America. In just a few months, however, they'll be vying for something else -- your clicks. Canadian sportscaster Le Réseau des Sports has confirmed that both SD and HD broadcasts of Super Bowl XLIII will feature commercials that are "enabled with interactive functionality permitting viewers to opt-in and hyperlink directly from the RDS network to long-form video content." Additionally, viewers will be able to bookmark that content for future viewing. Details of how the links and on-demand material will work are still fuzzy, but it's apt to function a lot like the TV-to-Internet ad platform that's already out courtesy of Backchannelmedia. The bar just got raised a few rungs higher, and we're pretty stoked to see what happens next.

Studios, CE firms bankroll $25 million Tru Blu ad campaign

by Darren Murph posted Nov 7th 2008 at 6:45PM


The stakes are high for Blu-ray this holiday season. As we've stated before, it's the first such season where it's not competing directly with HD DVD, and coincidentally enough, also the first in which it is competing (at least to a small degree) with HD streaming. To that end, a number of studios and consumer electronics outfits have agreed to fund a $25 million marketing campaign dubbed Tru Blu, which involves airing persuasive commercials on channels that "attract heavily male audiences." With Blu-ray deck prices expected to reach the $150 area come Black Friday, we'd say BD still has a good chance of being successful this winter, but it's going to need every ounce of gusto it can muster.

Verizon delivers fast-forward-disabled HD VOD content from ABC

by Darren Murph posted Oct 29th 2008 at 9:02AM


My, my -- this is just gross. In an awkwardly positive release, Verizon is gleefully announcing the launch of ABC video-on-demand content on its fiber-based FiOS TV service. Unfortunately, that very content is of the "fast-forward-disabled" variety. If you'll recall, we've seen ABC lock up its VOD content on other carriers before, but we're still dismayed that the suits up there at Disney-ABC Television Group won't provide on demand entertainment that's, you know, on demand. If there's a silver lining, FiOS TV users nationwide will be able to catch all of ABC's hit shows a day after they air in high-definition, which sure beats watching commercials in SD.

Comcast hits the sauce a little too hard, claims more HD than DirecTV

by Darren Murph posted Sep 12th 2008 at 3:53PM


We know our evaluation is a few months old now, but we're pretty darn sure Comcast hasn't made up the huge gap between its HD lineup and DirecTV's in a few short months. Nevertheless, said cable company has apparently lost its mind with a new 30-second spot themed after Deal or No Deal. In the ad, a contestant is asked to guess which provider has more HD options at 7:12PM in Chicago, and after he correctly guesses DirecTV, the badly misinformed host tells him that he's flat-out wrong. Then, a graphic shows up touting "500" HD options for Comcast and just 95 or so on DirecTV, and as if that weren't misleading enough, the spooky narrator reminds us that "Comcast always has more HD." It's not that we don't believe the guy, we just can't figure out on what planet this scenario is actually true. The mind-boggling spot is after the jump.

[Via CNET, thanks Isaac]

Continue reading Comcast hits the sauce a little too hard, claims more HD than DirecTV

Interactive ad campaign seeks to "reinvent commercial time as content time"

by Darren Murph posted Jul 9th 2008 at 2:34PM


Here at Engadget HD, we've been watching TV for a long, long time, and we can't honestly say that we've ever viewed commercial time as content time. Nevertheless, MTV Networks is teaming up with Cadbury and DISH Network in order to launch its "first-ever advertiser-supported interactive television campaign." Available "exclusively" to DISH Network customers (a curse disguised as a blessing?), the campaign will debut during The N's reality series Queen Bees on July 11th at 9:00PM ET / PT. Put simply, it will present viewers with sets of questions to answer during the show (no, that's not distracting at all), and in the next commercial break, the poll results will be shown. According to the outfits involved, this is their attempt to "reinvent commercial time as content time" and "encourage viewer retention throughout the pod." We're curious -- does anyone at MTV / Cadbury / DISH actually believe this stuff, or does it just sound great on a conference call?

Loud commercials actually not that loud, just startling

by Darren Murph posted Jul 1st 2008 at 9:35PM


Whoa, whoa. Wait a minute. Is this report really saying that those obnoxiously loud used car commercials aren't any louder than the programs they accompany? In fact, yes. Tom Feran has taken the time to actually explain how loudness works in television here in the US, and the resulting report is pretty fascinating. In essence, a typical drama will have moments of loudness and moments of quiet, and commercials that follow the show have to respect the same maximum as the show. However, unlike the program, commercials can simply max out the volume from start to finish, causing a "perceived" or "inconsistent" loudness that's just barely lawful. As you well know, British regulators are stepping in to make sure no ad is "excessively noisy or strident," but the situation in America could get worse post-2009. You see, digital broadcasts have a wider dynamic range (or loudness spectrum), leaving more room for annoying salespeople to totally invade your eardrum. Nevertheless, the article linked below is a must-read for anyone who has ever been enraged by a "ridiculously loud commercial."

[Image courtesy of Derrick Logan]

Panasonic manages to move 3,000 103-inch plasmas

by Darren Murph posted Jun 25th 2008 at 12:37PM


We're thinking a round or two of golf claps are in order here, no? Since going on sale (in Japan) in July of 2006, Panasonic's gigantic 103-inch plasma has been purchased 3,000 times. If our math is even close to correct, that means that Panny has managed to move around 130 of these bad boys each month, which isn't too shabby given the original $70,000 sticker. If you're curious as to where these things actually go, you'll probably be disappointed to hear some rather expected answers: nightclubs, sports arena, resorts, universities, casinos and high-brow offices in big name cities. Looking for the most in one place? Head on down to Las Vegas' own Sam's Town Hotel & Gambling Hall, where 15 of these beasts were placed in its newly remodeled $20-million Race and Sports Book room.

Poll: What's the most annoying form of advertising?

by Darren Murph posted Jun 6th 2008 at 12:00PM


We spotted something this week that really got our heads spinning: a fairly fail proof method to keep ad skipping (at least partially) at bay. During a re-run of Family Guy on TBS, Bill Engvall casually walked onto the bottom of the screen, paused Family Guy and proceeded to pimp his own show for a solid 15 seconds. Yeah, TBS is known for self-promotion, but this just feels downright slimy. It prompted us to fire up this poll, however, which beckons you readers to cast your vote for the most annoying form of advertisement. Feel free to chime in below with specific experiences if you feel led, and make sure to use the heck out of that DVR while you still can -- clearly, these guys are all too ready to institute workarounds to hinder ad skipping. The Bill Engvall violation video is waiting after the break.

What's the most annoying form of advertising?


Continue reading Poll: What's the most annoying form of advertising?

Verizon lassoes Kevin Garnett in to push FiOS

by Darren Murph posted May 24th 2008 at 4:13AM


Merely months after Verizon managed to secure Michael Bay's talents to campaign for FiOS, the carrier has now snagged Celtics superstar Kevin Garnett to push its fiber-based services. The NBA big man is now starring in a 30-second spot for Verizon's FiOS, showing off just how much he adores the innovative Home Media DVR with multi-room recording playback capabilities (its words, not ours). First Frank Caliendo, then Mr. Bay, now KG -- who's next, Don King?

Disney creates laboratory for biometric testing of advertisements

by Darren Murph posted May 15th 2008 at 3:03AM


We've seen outfits and networks dig deep to figure out how to make ads more attractive (or just watchable, really), but Disney's taking things to an entirely new plateau. The mega-corp is establishing a laboratory in Austin, Texas which will actually test the biometric reactions of up to 4,000 people in order to better understand what types of commercials are most effective. In the controlled setting, gurus will be tasked with measuring "heart rate and skin conductivity while tracking the gaze of participants who are exposed to new ad models over the internet, mobile devices and TV screens." As expected, the entire project is being undertaken in order to discover whether it can charge more for certain spots, but we're told not to expect the findings until early next year.

[Image courtesy of MSNBC]

British regulators move to quiet obnoxiously loud commercials

by Darren Murph posted May 13th 2008 at 3:44PM


Offensively loud television commercials have been a worldwide annoyance for years, and while a number of technologies have emerged in an attempt to hush those loud-mouths, British regulators are taking matters into their own hands. Just last week, the Broadcast Committee of Advertising Practice, which sets British TV ad guidelines, reportedly adopted a new rule establishing that TV ads shouldn't be "excessively noisy or strident." It elaborated by stating that "broadcasters must endeavor to minimize the annoyance that perceived imbalances could cause, with the aim that the audience need not adjust the volume of their television sets during program breaks." We're told that stations who choose not to invest in the loudness-level meter (which will ensure compliance) may actually have to "turn down the sound during commercials." Of course, whether anyone chooses to actually follow these guidelines has yet to be seen, er, heard.

[Via WatchingTVOnline, image courtesy of PaxArcana]

LG pushes Scarlet LCD HDTVs with completely unrelated commercial

by Darren Murph posted Apr 29th 2008 at 4:04PM


Some of you keen readers pieced all this together already, but that commercial you've been seeing about an "all new television series" dubbed Scarlet isn't a new show at all; rather, it's a risky move by LG to push its Scarlet LCD HDTVs. The sets themselves have been out and about already, and while the specifications aren't anything to sneeze at, the displays aren't nearly as seductive as the 30 second spot. The idea was crafted and put into motion by LG global brand marketing VP Kwan-Sup Lee and a team of advertising / marketing agencies, and while it refused to disclose exactly how much it has spent on the endeavor, it did affirm that it was "millions more than a typical product launch in the US." Sure, we can appreciate the envelope pushing, but now that we're all psyched about the show, it's a bit of a letdown to know we'll never actually be able to tune in. Check out the ad in its entirety after the jump.

Continue reading LG pushes Scarlet LCD HDTVs with completely unrelated commercial





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