The broadcast was sent across Sky’s existing satellite network and consisted of a 3D music event co-produced by Sky, 3D production company Nineteen Fifteen Productions and Island Records to coincide with a concert by the band Keane.

The live concert was also broadcast over the web in 3D on Keane’s website.

Broadcasting came from Abbey Road Studios where Sky used a simulcast of Keane’s live performance and transmitted it over a high definition satellite transponder, to be displayed on a high definition 3D TV screen.

Sky’s Director of Strategic Product Development, Gerry O’Sullivan explained ‘Being able to broadcast a live event in 3D is a real breakthrough as previous demonstrations have relied on recorded material. This is the first time we’ve broadcast a live event in 3D over satellite and it shows the significant progress we’re making with our research and development activity. The Keane event not only gave us new insight into our ability to deliver a rich and immersive live 3D experience into the home, but also confirmed that arts programming is another genre which has the potential to benefit from 3D.’

Gerry also added ‘We are continuing to talk to a range of different partners and content owners to find out how far we can take this technology and most importantly whether there is future consumer demand for 3D TV services.’

Today we are looking at a slightly older TV but still one of the nations most popular sets and thus deserves a review.
The Panasonic TX32LZD80, or TX-32LZD80, is just below the top end TX32LZD85 losing out on the 100Hz feature of its bigger brother.

Straight off the bat the first thing to point out is the Full 1080p HD.
As I’ve said before on a screen this size I’m not always convinced of its usefulness, I won’t rant on again because I’m sure you don’t want to hear that again and if you have missed it the first time and really care you can always go read the Sony KDL32V5500 review.

Rant avoided I have to say that the Panasonic TX32LZD80 HD and Full HD handling is very good.
The picture is very sharp and with a games console plugged in I may even stretch my own belief and say that I could see a little difference between the two.
A point to note here is when you are using a full HD source with this set it doesn’t have to scale down the source which can inject some artifacts to the image, admittedly not many though.

Black levels are very good, when this TV was released they were up there with the best, however as we are about a year on the competition is starting to move ahead in the area leaving the TX-32LZD80 a little behind.
Colours are also decent, not as vibrant as I would of liked but this does mean the colours are very realistic, perfect for gritty dramas or soaps, though personally I think Albert Square needs all the cheering up it can get.

On to the refresh rate and well, yes its only 60Hz but it does do a fine job of it, fast moving action is handled well with only noticeable ghosting happening on the fastest paced football.
To go with Full HD and not a 100Hz is always an odd choice on a set of this size but as 100Hz seems to be the more expensive choice it does mean this TV can be had for a great price.
The best TX32LZD80 price is currently down to £530 from Dixons which does make a lot of sense.

Connection wise there is 3 HDMIs, 2 SCARTs, Component Video, Composite Video, PC input and a SD card slot.
The SD slot is an useful feature in these days of digital cameras and a surprise more manufacturers haven’t added this, relatively cheap to manufacture, feature.

Sound is taken care of from the silver strip below the screen.
As always is the case with LCD sound never reaches the highs of the CRT days or that of a home theater system, but the Panasonic does remarkably well, producing a clear and weighty sound, if perhaps a little to quietly for my tastes.

The finish is what we come to expect from Panasonic’s years of making quality products and the typical gloss black with slim profile make for quite a handsome piece of electrical furniture.

In Summary the Panasonic TX32LZD80 is a good all rounder, but which may not quite of ever taken the top crown and is starting to show its age a little.
Insults aside, with the prices you can pick this up for now, you would really be hard pushed to get better quality for the money and still have most of the latest feature on a top brand set.
Simply for just over £500 you can’t really go wrong.

For the best price on the Panasonic TX32LZD80 visit Cheap LCD and Plasmas

For Panasonic’s overview of the TX32LZD80 please see page 2.

The Digital TV Group’s members, many of whom are television broadcasters, TV platform operators and hardware manufacturers, will be consulted about their opinions of the  feasibility and viability of 3D television, and they will also be asked to consider interoperability issues.

The Digital TV Group’s director general, Richard Lindsay-Davies stated “The DTG has been at the heart of every development in digital television since its inception more than a decade ago,” also adding “Our early work in the largely nascent area of 3DTV is a further example of our ability to help frame the debate on an emerging technology and provide a forum for all the key industry players.

“Some industry observers regard 3DTV as a natural, evolutionary next step for high-definition television (HDTV),” explained Richard Lindsay-Davies . “However, numerous challenges exist across the value chain, from image acquisition, storage and post-production, to distribution, reception and display. These challenges need to be understood and overcome in order to make 3DTV a feasible and viable consumer proposition.”

Sky has already announced plans that it is intending to develop a 3D television service based on its existing Sky plus HD and settop box network.

This seems to fit well with the recent spate of 3D movies being released and also the 3D broadcast of Chuck, Chuck vs the third dimension, during America’s 2009 Superbowl.

Today we are looking at the new Sony KDL32V5500 or KDL-32V5500 if you want to be exact!
The KDL32V5500 is the mid/high ranged model in Sony’s 2009 line up, just a drop down from the KDL32W5500.

The first thing to note about this model is its true full HD status. We seem to be bombarded with adverts informing us of the huge benefits of full HD, and I will not argue, they are great.
But on a screen of this size, in my personal opinion, I’m not really sure you can notice a difference.
Now this is not to detract from the Sony’s HD handling which it does do very well.
Both HD and full HD films and games are very sharp with a great sense of depth we are becoming to expect from HD, but sat a couple of meters away from this screen I was hard pushed to notice the difference between the HD and full HD offerings.
If you are going to sit a 30cm away from the screen then you may be able to see a difference, but in the lounge of your average household you would definitely need better eyes than mine to get any benefit.

The colour and black levels form the KDL32V5500 are superb; LCD is really making leaps and bounds in this department and with the Sony that shows.
Pictures are vibrant with great depths and when combined with a good HD source make for an excellent visual experience.
These deeper blacks were improved in last year’s V4000 range and it’s good to see Sony is still working hard in this area.

As this is the model down from KDL32W5500 there has of course to be a missing feature, why else would you pay more for that model!
In this case the missing feature is the 100hz scanning. This decision, I’m sure, makes huge commercial and marketing sense.
Full HD is the current golden boy of the TV world, giving the manufacturers a good excuse to tempt you into buying a new set.
However as you can see in my opinions about this above, I personally would not of minded the set to just be HD ready and to include the 100hz feature, which I think would of given noticeable gains to the picture quality.
This is not to say the 60hz handling is horrible, but while I was hard pushed to notice the full HD gains, the lack of 100hz did show itself with telltale signs of motion blur and ghosting on fast moving action movies and sports.

A new feature which I sure we will be seen pushed more this year is the dlna (digital living network alliance) certification.
This essentially means that you can network this TV and share movies, photos, music and so on without having to worry about compatibility issues.
Luckily for me the Sony laptop I am writing this on is also dlna certified and with a quick read of the guide managed to display some photos from the laptop straight to the screen.
So it’s nice to know this feature works, whether it will really take off or not we will have to wait and see.

Sound is produced by Sony’s new S-force front surround processing.
As the name suggests the sound gives the impression that you have full surround sound speakers but using only the TVs built in sounds system.
Now I might as well get the point out of the way that you will never convince me, you can get true surround sound without the extra speakers.
The main problem being that sound waves, unlike the diagrams would like to have us believe, do not travel in nice neat lines, they spread and reflect of pretty much any surface. That in itself being the other real problem, most lounges don’t look like that nice neat rectangle we see in the picture either.

Rant over, I do have to say that the sound from the Sony KDL-32V5500 is very good, giving a wide sound space and carrying reasonable levels of base.

Connection wise the Sony is well spec’d with 4 hdmis, component, composite, twin scart and pc input.
Also included is an Ethernet connection for the dlna and for Sony’s Applicast which allows you access a range of internet based widgets such a calendar and world clock.
This seems to be another feature a lot of manufacturers are touting their versions of this year, again whether they will take off we will have to wait and see.

The finish is up to Sony’s usual high standards, this time sporting the currently very popular piano black with the ‘floating’ speakers underneath.

In summary the Sony KDL32V5500 is a nice looking and performing set.
My only real concern would be the choice of full HD over 100hz, but this aside Sony have produced a superb TV and of course if you were worried about missing the 100hz, you could always look at the KDL32W5500, of course for a little extra money.

For the best price on the Sony KDL32V5500 visit Cheap LCD and Plasmas

For Sonys overview of the KDL32V5500 please see page 2.

Today we are looking at Samsung Flagship LCD TV, the LE55A956D1M. Boy these TV makers think up some sexy names for their models.

This top of the range HD LCD TV is a beast of a set in size alone; at 55 inches it needs a suitably sized room, or a very forgiving spouse or partner.
One good thing here is that if you are running out of space, the box would probably suit a small family of 3.

The first standout feature of this LCD TV is its LED backlighting and Smart LED technology.
This makes it possible to produce a true cd/m2(candelas per square meter) value of zero. It can in fact get very close to Pioneers fabulous Kuro plasmas, the benchmark of all domestic TV screens.
What this means to the average viewer is that blacks really are black, giving great depth and contrast, i.e. sharpness. This means whatever your watching looks better, especially movies.
This LED technology, now 2nd generation, has had the earlier models problems ironed out and looks to become the new standard in premium quality TV viewing.

One thing to note is that if you purchase this set for yourself, switch the Smart LED on and leave it on, I for one could not find a situation where it needed turning off and it turning it on does make for a noticeable difference.

The colour range out of the box is a little washed out, I have also heard of reports of them being set too high, but with a little tuning this can be corrected to display livid and really amazing colours that rival any other LCD TV on the market.
These glorious colours alongside the deep blacks really give the best of LCD and plasma combined.
It produces the sort of feel and quality you would expect from the cinema. To quote a term banded around a lot recently, the Samsung LE55A956 lets you see your movies like the director intended, plus your football matches, gardening programs, video games and soaps too.

As is becoming standard today, this set is 100hz, but uses Samsungs 100hz motion plus which really helps with fast moving images removing blur and flicker without introducing artefacts and distortion to the image.

The Samsung LE55A956D1M is of course a full HD ready set with a native resolution of 1920×1080 pixels. On a screen this size you can really notice the difference between HD and full HD. Full HD images are incredibly sharp and give a depth unseen on a standard resolution TV.
This is of course if you have the full HD source such as a blu-ray or games console to connect to it.
Surely when you’re spending this much on a TV you’re not going to be plugging a VCR into it? (Andy, yes this is a dig at you!!)

Connection wise you are unsurprisingly well covered. With 3 hdmis at the rear and one on the side for easy access for HD camcorders you are unlikely to have to get off the couch much to switch anything over.
With twin scart, component, composite, usb, VGA, aerial, s-video, network and audio outs it looks like all boxes are ticked.
Well except there is NO headphone socket!!
Now I appreciate a lot of people will be mounting this on a wall and most of you will be quite sitting far back, this seems like a bit of an oversight on a TV costing over £2000. Especially if you have neighbours like mine.

Sound is a feature that is often overlooked when buying a new LCD or plasma and there can be a great deal of variation on the various sets out there.
The LE55A956D1M fortunately makes all the right noises, utilising that large cabinet and implementing the tried and tested SRS Trusurround XT system.
Of course as I would say to anyone buying a TV for the home, a cinema sound system, whether that is from separates or an out of the box package, will still produce much better sound and give the benefit of true surround sound for that home cinema experience.

The finish is up to Samsungs usual standard with their ultra clear panel and what looks to be a glossy black-grey surround. On closer inspection this actually contains a honeycomb effect that becomes visible in bright light.

Finally to touch on the connections again, the Samsung LE55A956 comes equipped with Samsungs Infolive, which with an internet connection provides news, weather and well whatever Samsung want you to see.
This is all well and good but I do have to question its relevance. With the internet becoming available on so many medias and with the excellent digital text service (the red button) is addition really necessary?
This will be an interesting one to watch, will Samsung update and improve on this service or will it just fall by the wayside as the internet, as I’m sure it will do, comes straight into our TVs.

In summary, the Samsung LE55A956D1M is a really high performer with only a few, fairly minor faults.
This should be expected of the flagship, top of the range model but it’s nice to know Samsung have not let us down.

For the best price on the Samsung LE55A956 visit Cheap LCD and Plasmas

For Samsungs info and spec please see page 2

Spring is nearly upon us and as is the tradition in the world of TV manufacturers, recession or not, this year’s models are coming out in force.

The TXP42X10 is Panasonics latest middle of the range, HD ready (not full HD) plasma TV offering.

For those who can’t be bothered to read through my slightly educated ramblings, let me start by cutting to the chase and say as usual Panasonic have got it right.

We are now on, I think, the 14th generation panels from Panasonic and if they can’t get it right by now, then they might as well pack up and go home.

Personally I have been selling these screens for years and they were pretty good from day one.
Well except for the crazy price tag back then!

So to the TXP42×10 in person, to start it has Panasonics excellent 100 Hz Double Scan system providing a sharp, none blurred image for all you sports fans and for anything with a fast moving image.
This is starting to become pretty old technology now but whether we need to go beyond to 200+ like Sony, I’m not so sure. Can your eyes will notice the difference? You tell me, mine definitely can’t!

It goes without saying that this screen is HD ready, though not full HD.

For those who don’t know the difference, standard HD, or just HD, is made up from usually 1024 pixels across by 720 pixels high.
This is compared to 850px x 480px for standard resolution and 1920px x 1080px for full HD.
What this means in layman’s terms, is that with more dots/pixels in the same area those pixels are smaller.
The smaller the pixel the greater the detail we can show in a set area.

For an example of this, open up a photo on your computer.

Go on, do it now, I’m not going anywhere.

Now zoom in as far it goes.

Good, now when you zoomed in did you end up with a picture made from blocks?

Yes, well then this is how your TV works.

Now as you zoom back out the picture gets better and better, as the dots get smaller.

There is a limit to this effect, after a while you just can’t see the difference anymore.
Eyes eh? Just not what they are cracked up to be…

So how does this lack of full HD affect our Panasonic?
Well on this size screen you are just getting to the point where full HD starts to make a difference.
Anything below this and most people are hard pushed to notice any difference, above and I would definitely recommend it.

As is always my suggestion, go find yourself one HD and one full HD screen on display in your local high street and get them to show you the difference.
Trust me they won’t have much else to do at the moment.

If you really notice a difference then you know your answer, if like a lot of people you don’t, then you should be just fine at the normal HD.

The other thing to consider is where you are getting this full HD from.
As of now, Feb 2009, the only real sources for full HD are blu-ray, the PS3/Xbox 360, a serious upscaler or a pc.
The HD offering from Sky, Virgin and Freesat are only standard HD, as is likely from any future offering of Freeview HD.

This is unlikely to change in the near future due to the huge amount of bandwidth it would take to send a full HD signal using the current compression.

So to sum up on the HD, Full HD is good, but only if you have the right equipment source in the first place.
So for the majority of viewers, the HD on the Viera TXP42X10 is going to do just fine.

Coming in from the tangent and back to the Panasonic, the rest of the spec is pretty much what you would expect.

3 HDMI’s should be enough for most, one handily mounted on the side for easy access with next generation cameras, camcorders, laptops and so on.

Twin tuners are a nice touch, though in these days of twin tuner set-top boxes and DVD recorders maybe an unnecessary one.

As is seemingly becoming standard on Panasonics, the SD card reader and display is a very useful feature, though due to the various formats we all use, a multicard reader would be better.
Of course as Panasonic helped develop and market the SD card format and it still very much tied into it today I can’t see this happening anytime soon.

Colours are fairly neutral across the board and the black levels superb as we have come to expect from plasma in general and definitely from Panasonic’s Vieras.

Picture quality for both SD and HD is superb with no real faults for the human eye.
A test machine may tell a different story but I don’t let them watch TV with me, they are always moaning on about stuff I can’t even see.

Sound is reasonable but won’t be winning awards anytime soon.
This is unfortunately this case in most screens in this range and is one of the limiting features of the thinner and thinner screens we all crave.
This definitely shouldn’t distract from your choice to purchase this great set as you are not likely to get better for this price.

The TXP42X10’s finish is up to Panasonics usual high standards with a nice gloss black surround, the current trend until silver becomes popular again, in a year or two.

In summary the Panasonic TXP42X10 is well positioned as a good quality, middle of the range spec, 42″ plasma screen.
Though we are not looking at the cutting edge of plasma TVs, this is a screen that should and will take pride of place in many homes across the nation.

For the best price on the Panasonic TXP42X10 visit Cheap LCD and Plasmas

For Panasonics overview of the TXP42X10 please see page 2.