TVs That Turn You On

By Wilson Rothman

The hottest gadget at the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas last week was a familiar one: the trusty television. Everyone, it seemed, wanted to offer a new twist on the old tube. Alongside the traditional TV brands were entries from companies that have never made TVs before, including Yamaha, Daewoo, Epson and Gateway. Why are so many players moving into the TV business? Because more and more TV owners are ready for an upgrade. Most cable and satellite broadcasters offer some high-definition-TV (HDTV) programming, but you need an HDTV set if you want to watch. At the same time, new display technologies and bonuses like video recording and wireless media streaming give today's TVs more power and allure than the tubes of yesteryear--or even just last year. So what makes this new generation of TVs worth watching?

SIZE MATTERS Some of the new sets are bigger and thinner than before. A prototype Samsung plasma screen measures a record 80 in. diagonally. And for something really skinny, RCA has developed a rear-projection TV that's less than 7 in. thick.

THINKING OUTSIDE THE BOX To eliminate the cumbersome set-top boxes that are required to get HDTV or digital TV, TV manufacturers have partnered with cable companies. By this fall, Comcast and Time Warner Cable (which, like this magazine, is owned by Time Warner) are scheduled to distribute industry-standardized "cable cards" to customers who buy new cable-card-ready TV sets from Panasonic, Pioneer, Samsung and others. With the right card, you don't need a box.

HEY, I'M ON TV! This year, Philips and European upstart Mission will introduce TVs built into mirrors (the TV disappears when the power is turned off). The design is aimed at hotels but will soon be available for sale to the public.

NO MORE WIRES The Philips Streamium FlatTV with built-in wi-fi pulls music, photos and even MPEG video content from your computer and displays it on an LCD screen. Sony is also introducing a wireless TV, the LocationFree flat panel. Plug the transmitter into a DVD player and take the screen for a stroll. The cool thing is, it's also a networked Internet appliance, so you can check your e-mail when the movie is over.

TIVO OR NOT TIVO? Sharp will soon ship its own wireless Aquos LCD TV, but it's the newly announced Open Aquos that has the most promising feature: a basic-function video recorder (and removable hard drive). It won't replace a TiVo, but the 15-in. or 20-in. models can pause live TV or save news, soaps or talk shows hours--or days--after they have aired.