As we wandered the show floor at CeBIT this year, we noticed that things that can operate in water are all the rage. While we don’t really care if a cash register is waterproof, we are very, very excited by a television that works during a spot of rain. Yes, that’s right, the Sanyo 42LM4WPR-E …

commentary The launch of Apple TV this month raises interesting questions for owners of video-capable iPods and home entertainment enthusiasts. Will the mid-March release coincide with the addition of movies and TV episodes to the Australian iTunes Store? Although Apple won’t answer the question — nothing new here — the latest version of iTunes released last week hints movie downloads …

Wasn’t it all so gloriously simple back when people listened to top 40 radio and obediently paid $20 for discs at record store chains? Labels set the deal terms for artists. Managers handled the “biz.” The touring circuits were maintained by well-mannered warlords that politely divvied up the venues. And everyone had their place in the pond. So where did …

Despite LCDs outselling plasmas by quite a wide margin, Samsung remains committed to its plasma TV range. This year it’s launching two new large-screen sets — the 42Q9HD and the 50Q9HD — and they come, predictably enough, in 42- and 50-inch sizes. Neither of the plasma screens support 1080p, which is a little disappointing. The 42-inch model has a resolution …

Sharp has announced a new range of flagship televisions with a whole host of extra features — including an integrated PVR with a 160GB hard drive to record stuff and 100Hz technology to reduce the motion blur often seen on LCD televisions. There are two models in the range, the LC-46HD1E and the LC-52HD1E — one is 46 inches and …

I’m looking to buy a new HD Ready LCD TV, but I’m confused. Which size should I be buying with a viewing distance of approximately 2 metres? Is there a difference in quality between 32 and 40-inch screens? I haven’t looked at 32-inch TVs because I am under the impression they are not as good quality as larger screens. Marc Henriksen …

Back in the day, when TVs weren’t skinny and weighed as much as an elephant, some people complained that the 50Hz refresh rate of PAL televisions wasn’t high enough and it made their heads ache. A solution was proposed whereby the heads of those who complained would be removed, the whining $*?!s. This wasn’t especially popular, so boffins came up …

The Philips stand at IFA 2006 was dominated by Ambilight in all its various sizes and guises. As seen in two-channel mode on the Philips 32PF9830 and in full surround on the Philips 42PF9831D, Ambilight provides coloured backlighting that automatically adjusts to match the picture on your screen. Philips expects to have sold over 1 million Ambilight sets worldwide by the end …

There are several things you can count on when you attend a big German trade show like IFA 2006. By lunchtime, you’ll feel like you’ve walked around the world at least once. You probably won’t get any lunch, and if you do, it’ll be a big chunk of meat, with a miniscule bread roll wrapped round it like an edible …

As we perch on the edge of our seats waiting for the Blu-ray vs HD DVD scuffle to end, we have plenty of time to predict which format will be triumphant. The latest salvo is Sony’s announcement of a seriously cut-price Blu-ray player, the BDP-S300. It’s a step up from the enormous BDP-S1 — it’s cheaper, smaller and amazingly will now …

The centrepiece of Toshiba’s stand at IFA 2006 was the area promoting HD DVD. Toshiba announced the European launch dates and pricing for two players, the mainstream HD-E1 and the high-end HD-XE1. Visitors to the show were able to see the players in action, compare them to standard DVD players and find out about the first batch of titles. The …

Visitors to the Samsung stand at IFA 2006 were greeted by a wall of flat-screen televisions. Samsung had one of the largest stands at the show and at least half of it was dedicated to televisions of one type or another: LCDs, plasmas, rear-projection screens and even CRTs. In particular, Samsung was promoting its new 1080p screens. The 1080p standard offers …

We always look forward to CeBIT, an opportunity to mix with a huge variety of tech people from all over the world and discuss the issues of the day over a breakfast of meat. What’s more, there’s also sauerkraut to sweeten the deal — and who doesn’t like fermented white cabbage? Once we’ve eaten, we’ll be looking out for the …

As Crave hurtles towards CeBIT 2007, Europe’s biggest tech trade show, we’re starting to get excited about what we might see there. No doubt there will be huge televisions, and fingers crossed, some exciting new technology. To feed our hunger, Toshiba has dropped us a tasty morsel of information on its upcoming Regza C series, which we guess will replace …

Whenever a 1080p television comes into the Crave office, there is always a certain shimmer of excitement in the air. With the imminent arrival of the PlayStation 3 we don’t want to be playing our games at 1080i: these days we demand 1080p. So when the Sharp Aquos LC-37XD1E arrived we couldn’t get it out of the box quick enough. …