Plasma TV You may be surprised at just how tuned in to TV many Americans really are. A recent survey found that not only do half of all Americans want a Plasma TV, but many of them will go to great lengths to get one. Here’s a closer look:

She Said

Plasma TV Forget chocolate, it seems that women are craving their favorite shows in high definition. A third of women said they would give up chocolate for 12 months in exchange for a plasma television.

He Said

Plasma TV

Forty percent of men surveyed said they would endure a 48-hour “chick flick” marathon, if it meant they would be rewarded with a Plasma TV. One-fifth of the men surveyed said they would give up all sports-related activities: watching, playing and reading about their favorite sports and athletic heroes. (continue reading…)

Samsung HDTV

The advent of the computer has changed the way engineers develop the television. The quality of the picture and sound on today’s televisions has far surpassed the standard of a mere decade ago. The new Samsung HDTV line and their features are a testament to that.

Starting with the LN-s4692d, this TV has a 46-inch screen and an option called the dynamic contrast which enables the owner to adjust the screen’s back light based on the quality of light in the room.

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“Don’t throw the past away. You might need it some rainy day.”

-Peter Allen, from the song “Everything Old Is New Again”

During the late ’90s and early ’00s, the hype bubble grew large about a number of ideas that never reached critical mass. WebTV was going to democratize the Internet, but it devolved into a market niche after being acquired by Microsoft. WiFi providers such as MobileStar and later Cometa Networks hoped to build vast WiFi networks that would compete with cellular plans. Those bubbles popped back in the day, but curiously, companies are now willing to pump some energy back into them. The question is whether they are in any better position to float this time around.

Remember Google TV? It’s still kickin’, but El Goog still has quite a few content distribution quibbles to solve before it can be taken seriously — at least in our estimation. Logitech was one of the first outfits to buy into Google’s scheme to take over the television, with the Revue first out of the gate to provide Google TV access to existing sets. We had our fair share of gripes with the box, and while it definitely enabled quite the unusual videocall in a prior episode of The Engadget Show, we were never convinced said fun was worth the price. Enough about us, though — how’s your Revue treating you? Has it revolutionized the way you consume television content? Anything you’d change about it? Tweak the user interface? Broaden compatibility? Change up the keyboard? Let us know in comments below — something tells us Google’s still listening up for input.

NetTalk hasn’t exactly made it easy for the world to believe in all of its claims, but things are just getting loco at this point. The NetTalk TV has been introduced here at CES, touted as a companion device to the Duo that provides ultra-low cost digital TV service. Reportedly, the bantam box offers HDMI / S-Video / composite outputs, Ethernet and WiFi, and it’ll enable consumers to receive only the standard- and high-definition content that they want. According to the company, this allows individuals to detach themselves from the high-priced cable packages that force you to pay for 50 channels (when you only need three), but here’s the kicker: there are no details whatsoever provided in the press release after the break. Not even a price. We’re told to expect shipments in Q3 of this year, followed by undoubted disappointment as you begin to understand that it won’t be NetTalk to finally convert the à la carte dream into reality.