Having some friends over to watch the game and wish you had a new big screen to view it on? Perhaps you just need to think bigger … say consider hosting the next FIFA World Cup. As part of its extensive sponsorship, Philips is supplying more than 10,000 flat panel TVs along with DVD players …

Manufacturers wanting to make it in the home technology world had better hire a fashion guru to mix it with their engineers, because on the domestic front, looks count. It used to be that buying a TV was not a particularly big decision.  You figured out the biggest size you could get for the money you wanted to spend, and …

If you’re a fan of the Australian Idol series, be sure to take a look at the new releases coming out this week. Australian Idol – Uncut 2004 (BMG, 187 mins, PG) Fifty thousand wannabes and only one spot for an Australian Idol. It’s a show destined for tears, begging, pleading, which of course provides the rest of us with …

This week we continue on with the Aussie themed DVDs, but don’t worry if last week’s Slim Dusty and Cold Chisel concerts scared you off, there are some decent Australian dramas hitting the stores. Sirens (Buena Vista) It was first released on the big screen in 1994, but this one is fun to revisit, as it’s based on the life …

Do I really need 54 buttons? Yep, I counted. 54 buttons on the remote control of the Home-Theatre-in-a-Box system I was reviewing last week-end. Bear in mind that this was an entry level system. Call me crazy, but by and large, I want technology to make my life simpler. Not that this remote was particularly hard to understand – Power, …

Australia’s full switch to digital television could be delayed until 2011 due to a slower than expected take up rate with consumers. Digital and analog signals are currently being simulcast around Australia. Analog broadcasting is scheduled to cease at the end of 2008 in the five main metropolitan markets. Analog signals in regional markets are scheduled to switch-off by the …

Panasonic has updated its Viera range of flat panel televisions, unveiling six new plasma and LCD models yesterday. The new televisions feature the same sleek styling of its predecessors, and adds high definition capability and HDMI connectivity across most models. The new Viera range is made up of three new LCDs (32″, 26″ and 23″) and three plasmas (the HD-capable …

CNET.com.au’s weekly roundup of releases, news and reviews of what’s happening in the world of DVD. New releases this week: Don Lane – Best Of The Don Lane Show (Sony, 242 mins, $AU25) Here at CNET.com.au we pride ourselves on bringing you local Australian content, and so today we thought we’d excite the locals by letting you know that you …

Don’t rush if you’re thinking of buying that big screen LCD TV this weekend. BenQ’s local head is tipping prices in the 20″ and 30″ range will fall significantly within a month, some models by up to AU$1000. BenQ Australia’s MD Philip Newton says prices for 26″ LCD TVs will fall to below AU$2000 in a matter of weeks, with …

Saved your pennies and all set to buy a big screen TV? Alas, the vision you see when you get to the store will more than likely burst your bubble. While out and about on the week-end I took the opportunity to cruise through a consumer electronics mega store that opened recently in my neighbourhood. The new shop was tastefully …

Verbatim today announced the immediate availability of blank write-once (BD-R) and re-writeable (BD-RE) Blu-ray media, joining TDK and Sony as the three manufacturers shipping blank Blu-ray discs to Australia at this point in time. In contrast, HD DVD blanks are still yet to arrive. The discs are available in “single pack jewel cases”, with Verbatim selling 25GB BD-R and BD-RE …

Philips’ prototype 100-inch LCD panel Plasma TVs are not going to be the only big screens pushing the size barrier, as evidenced last week when Philips unveiled a prototype 100-inch (245cm) HD LCD TV at the Berlin IFA 2006 consumer electronics show. While the Panasonic plasma that CNET.com.au saw at the CEDIA show at the Gold Coast in July still …

commentary No matter what kind of pro-consumer spin the Government tries to put on it, the changes to the media industry announced by Communications Minister Helen Coonan last week will hardly have the punters revved up about entering a new “digital age”. The biggest carrot in the proposed legislation is the release of two new digital channels which could provide …

While consumers are still weighing up the benefits of plasma versus LCD televisions, manufacturers will next year be introducing another option: rear-projection laser TVs. Optoelecronics manufacturer Arasor and laser specialist Novalux unveiled a working “laser TV” prototype in Sydney on Tuesday, a modified 52-inch Mitsubishi WD-52627 using Arasor’s optical chips and lasers to drive the display. Compared to LCD or …

commentary If you caught Van Helsing on Channel 10 on Sunday night, you’re probably wishing you had those three hours of your life back, but you may also have noticed a promo for the upcoming drama Jericho. While the show doesn’t look hugely compelling, one feature of the trailer was certainly noteworthy. Instead of promoting an official Web site like …