If there's one thing consumer electronics companies thrive on, it's taking a relatively straightforward technology and cleverly hyping it. Case in point: so-called "LED TV." TV makers such as Samsung have begun using the term, leaving you with the impression that you now have to decide between LCD, plasma and LED TV. But you don't. LED TVs are actually LCD TVs that use an LED back light, instead of a Cold Cathode Fluorescent Lamp (CCFL) for back lighting. So there really is no such thing as an “LED TV.” It’s really an LCD TV with LED backlights. What’s the Big...

In one of my first posts here, I pooh-poohed the idea of subscribing to Netflix. I'd like to amend those comments slightly. LG said last week that it was shipping pair of 1080p HDTVs with Internet connectivity that could access Netflix's online library of TV and movie titles, including HD titles. You can stream that content (with a Netflix subscription) to the 47-inch LCD (LH50, $2,100) and 50-inch plasma (PS80, $2,100) series sets without a set top box, just an ethernet connection. You can also access Yahoo! Widgets on the sets, if you were so inclined. We're really at the...

Nothing quite gets the blood racing like spending a few quality hours converting analog video to a digital format, am I right? Eh, I know. It's grueling, gruesome work. But sometimes we're called to duty. Roxio's new Easy VHS-to-DVD makes the task slightly less onerous. The PC version was announced late last year, but a new Mac-compatible model was introduced last month. The Easy VHS-to-DVD connects to a computer via USB and to an analog video device (a VCR or camcorder) via RCA or S-Video cables. The included software allows you to import your analog vids and burn them to DVD....

The HDTV that is. The home theater furniture designer Bell'o has a new HDTV cabinet (the WAVS-326/$499) on the way that can be assembled without tools. It is, they promise, "ready to assemble" and supports most flat panel sets up to 46 inches. If your flat panel doesn't have a stand, you can spring for the optional mounting accessory (the PP-59, for $199). As someone who is officially banned from undertaking house projects more significant than picture hanging or light bulb changing, I admit that the idea of furniture assembly without tools is definitely appealing. The idea of resting my $2,000...

  Walking around the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas, you never really know when you're going to see the next big thing.  It's so overwhelming, that technology seems to come at you from every angle. Well, I think I've seen the future in television, and it's not the 108 inch Sharp Aquos Plasma screen.  No, it's called 3D Digital Plasma TV.  And it's very cool. As I was about to leave the show, I bumped into a friend at the Panasonic booth, who urged me to check out the 3D Plasma presentation at the rear of their booth.  I was...