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Thursday, May 17, 2012
Toshiba to halt domestic television production, as has Hitachi
In light of falling prices (and falling profits), electronics giant Toshiba has halted domestic production of televisions and will focus on more profitable ventures with an eye to double their operating profit by 2014-2015.
Together, Toshiba and Samsung dominate the world market for NAND Flash chips, many of which are used in Apple iPhones.
Read the entire article here: http://www.reuters.com/article/2012/05/17/us-toshiba-idUSBRE84G09Z20120517
Sony and Panasonic might team up to make OLEDs, and prices may fall quicker
This is just in the discussion phase, but these two long-time rivals might be considering this desperate measure to combat Korea's dominance in the television market, and to prevent them from being left behind in the burgeoning OLED market.
Hopefully this won't lead to more losses due to underpriced products, but the consumer will win either way (at least in the short term).
Read more here: http://www.digitaltrends.com/home-theater/unexpected-sony-and-panasonic-partnership-could-see-the-price-of-oled-tvs-quickly-fall/
Tuesday, May 15, 2012
Hilarious article title includes "Asian giants wrestle"
I would post this article because of the content about televisions and the new OLED, and also because of the references to several brands that we service like LG, Samsung, Sony, Panasonic, Toshiba and Sharp.
But it's the title of the article that I keep enjoying:
"Analysis: As technology shifts, Asian giants wrestle for TV control"
For someone with my imagination, I am picturing giant asians wrestling over a huge remote control, and hopefully now you are, too.
P.S. It's a very informative article on the subject.
Enjoy: Analysis: As technology shifts, Asian giants wrestle for TV control
Samsung OLED HDTVs on the way this year
Per Samsung Electronics, they will begin to sell OLED HDTVs in the latter half of the year... first in South Korea then expanding to the world.
They will cost twice what an LCD costs, be a lot thinner and lighter, and have a sharper picture.
If you need thin and high end, then this is the way to go right now.
Read the article: http://www.dealerscope.com/article/samsung-oled-tvs-on-way/1
LG accounces plan to sell new OLED TVs for $9000
These are going to be much thinner than current LCDs as they do not require a backlight, and they have sharper images than LCD televisions.
It's a higher price than expected, but every TV manufacturer is finally coming to the stark realization that competition and low pricing has lead to record losses for the industry. (That and the fact that production costs for these TVs are much higher).
Frankly, I would rather buy a television that will last, can be repaired, and will have reasonably priced parts from the manufacturer, but that's just me.
Read the article: http://www.businessweek.com/news/2012-05-11/lg-said-to-plan-selling-oled-tvs-for-more-than-9-000-in-u-dot-s-dot
Friday, May 04, 2012
Apple Television delayed, or is this just hype?
We linked to an article on the Service Care Facebook account that looks like half advertisement, and half analysis. It's hard to tell, but it looks like Apple Television is either going to be delayed until 2014, or they're just stirring up excitement.
We'll see what happens...
Go to our Facebook page to follow the link: http://www.facebook.com/Service.Care/posts/169714353154718
Friday, April 20, 2012
Child safety: Be careful where you put a television.
It's been brought to our attention that each year, a number of children are injured or even die from improperly installed television sets. Of particular concern are situations where the older and heavier tube-style television is placed in the child's room when the family gets a larger television, and often installed on top of a dresser or something else not really designed to hold a TV.
Let's face it, kids get excited, and they could easily pull or push that TV in their efforts to get to the controls or to what they are perceiving on the screen.
It's not just the older TVs that can be dangerous. Larger flat-screen TVs that are improperly installed can be a danger as well.
It's just something to think about. We are in the business of fixing televisions, but we're also people with families who worry about the little ones. Just be careful out there.
Posted by Toxey at 10:49 AM
Categories: Miscellaneous, Safety, Televisions
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Monday, April 16, 2012
Flat screen TVs are *not* disposable!
I just ran the numbers on our historical records for out-of-warranty TV repairs, and got some surprising results.
It turns out that we are fixing half a percent *more* of flat screens than we are older tube-type televisions (including DLP projection units). (These numbers are a percentage of repaired units out of the total of units upon which a repair is attempted, versus those that were not repaired).
By that I mean, we're able to repair an almost identical percentage of the newer flat screens as all other TVs and even compared to all other electronics (not including microwaves).
What does that mean? It means do not throw away your flat screen because someone tells you it's not worth fixing, unless they are with a certified television repair service. You may be throwing away money, and adding even more volume to our overflowing landfills.
Hey, it's worth asking a servicer right?
(Of course, if your plasma, lcd, or led screen is physically damaged, the rate of successful repair drops dramatically due to the high cost of the parts).
Wednesday, April 11, 2012
New study: 38% of U.S. household TVs connected to the internet
Whether it's through a game system, Blu-ray disc player, or other device, a lot of more of U.S. households are operating TVs that access the internet in some way or another.
Largely, that's due to Netflix subscriptions, but the new "Smart" TVs also allow access to web-based services and apps.
It's the future: read more here
Posted by Toxey at 3:28 PM
Categories: Internet, Televisions
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Wednesday, April 04, 2012
Samsung gains serious lead in LCD TV sales competition
The top 5 sales leaders for fourth quarter 2011 were (in order from highest to lowest):
Samsung - 23.6%
Vizio - 15.4%
LG - 12.4%
Sony - 8%
Toshiba - 7.8%
Of course, it should be kept in mind that in a previous post we listed how LCD sales are flattening in the U.S., so this is sales shares of a shrinking market.
Read more about the LCD sales leaders here: click to read article on DealerScope
Thursday, March 29, 2012
Flat-screen TV sales projected to fall, and keep falling through 2015
Looks like the buying frenzy is over, and the manufacturers have realized they can't discount TVs any further. Plus, every room in the house is filled with TVs...
The romance and excitement are over for flat-screens, c'est la vie:
http://allthingsd.com/20120327/flat-panel-tv-sales-flatten-in-u-s/
Posted by Toxey at 9:44 AM
Edited on: Thursday, March 29, 2012 9:47 AM
Categories: Televisions
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Wednesday, March 28, 2012
Panasonic rolls out their 2012 TV and Home Entertainment offerings
Panasonic appears to be putting out more TVs than ever, with over 30 new TVs, many of them having 3D features.
Connectivity and content streaming are priority features as well.
Read more about the new lineup of Panasonic TVs and other electronics equipment at this link: Read full article
Posted by Toxey at 11:30 AM
Edited on: Wednesday, March 28, 2012 11:40 AM
Categories: Electronics, Panasonic, Televisions
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Tuesday, March 27, 2012
LG's 55 inch OLED to launch in May for just under $8,000
That's a lot of TV, for quite a few coins. Apparently, it's worth it, if you're the kind of person that must have the biggest, newest, etc. Reviews have given this TV high marks.
Read more here: http://www.theverge.com/2012/3/27/2905491/lg-55-inch-oled-tv-price-release-date
Thursday, March 08, 2012
Yabazam 3D will stream 3D movies direct to LG Smart TVs
It's just trailers for now, but they say next month they'll have pay-per-view 3d content (aka movies) available on these LG TVs through the Yabazam 3D App.
I guess if you bought a 3D TV, and a new movie comes out, you can try it and see if you like it, instead of having to buy the DVD? Convenience is king.
Anyway, read more about LG 3d Streaming App here: http://www.dealerscope.com/article/lg-tvs-get-3d-streaming-app
Posted by Toxey at 5:18 PM
Edited on: Thursday, March 08, 2012 5:23 PM
Categories: LG, Televisions
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Wednesday, March 07, 2012
Samsung Debuts "Future Proof" TVs in 2012
Carrying a host of new features, including voice and gesture controls, these new TVs promise to allow upgrades to a better TV without having to buy a new TV through software upgrades and hardware firmware upgrades.
Read more about the new Samsung TVs that are coming: http://www.dealerscope.com/article/samsung-s-5th-gen-smart-tvs-launch
Posted by Toxey at 3:40 PM
Edited on: Wednesday, March 07, 2012 3:56 PM
Categories: Samsung, Televisions
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Friday, March 02, 2012
Apple TV the biggest thing since the Smart Phone?
Really?
Read more: http://www.businessinsider.com/apple-tv-2012-3
Posted by Toxey at 4:34 PM
Edited on: Wednesday, March 07, 2012 3:56 PM
Categories: Apple, Televisions
-- There are [ 0 ] comment(s) by our very smart blog visitors.
Wednesday, February 22, 2012
Google TV may have Siri-like voice interface
It will work with Google's cloud services to provide remote control for your television, from wherever you are.
Read more here: http://www.patentlyapple.com/patently-apple/2012/02/google-developing-siri-like-user-interface-for-google-tv.html
Samsung going OLED, spinning off LCD production
Samsung, Sony, Panasonic and Sharp have all experienced losses in the LCD production market.
With LCD sales dramatically flagging, and stiff competition from Chinese manufacturers, Samsung plans to concentrate on the newest TV technology, OLED.
Friday, February 17, 2012
Philips coming out with 19 new "Smart TVs" in 2012
A lot of cool features, might be a comeback for Philips?
Read more: http://www.theverge.com/2012/2/16/2801946/philips-smart-tv-hdtv-3d-2012
Posted by Toxey at 9:53 AM
Edited on: Wednesday, March 07, 2012 3:58 PM
Categories: Philips, Televisions
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Wednesday, February 15, 2012
Samsung and Sony pondering the future of LCD production
In the face of high costs and lower profitability, both Samsung and Sony are considering their options in regards to the future of LCD production for the television business.
http://news.cnet.com/8301-13506_3-57377239-17/samsung-considering-options-for-lcd-business-spinoff-possible/
18.05.2012 by Toxey, 9:47pm