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LG 15-inch AM-OLED TV

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logo-lgOLED here we go…

LG has announced it’s latest TV set – a 15-inch AM-OLED TV. OLED TV sets are pretty much the wave of the future. According to Marie-France Han and Rhee So-eui of Reuters, “Active-matrix organic light-emitting diode (AM-OLED) displays, which use self-glowing materials, have better picture quality, consume less power and are thinner than widely used liquid crystal displays (LCD) that need backlight units.” With people becoming more energy conscious by the day this is a big plus for OLED TVs, that and the fact that everyone’s always happy to get something with better picture quality.

LG’s 15-inch AM-OLED tv set is not the first of its kind with Sony having paved the way with its 11-inch OLED tv that was launched 2 years ago. But in this age where smaller is usually better, when it comes to TV screens bigger is still better. Probably this is why LG is aiming even higher by working on coming out with a 40-inch AM-OLED TV set in the “not too distant future”.

LG will be launching it’s latest product this next week in Berlin at the IFA 2009 consumer electric show. The TV set will be available in Korea by November. As for the rest of the world, we’ll have to wait till next year to get our hands on this OLED TV. Of course, you might want to sit on your current TV and wait till the 40-inch monster comes out.

Other News Around Korea

Is the Korean comfort women issue now being used as a political tool?

The dark side of South Korean pop music

 

Katie Holmes Thinks She Can Dance

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katie-holmes-sytycd“So You Think You Can Dance?” Apparently Katie Holmes thought she could, and though there are some naysayers out there, I have to agree with her this time. Critics have been saying that all she did was lip synch and go from pose to pose but all I can say is I wonder if the ones who say that can go from pose to pose as gracefully and looking so cool and absolutely stunning as she did. I am no Katie Holmes fan but she did look really good in SYTYCD 100th episode.

Aside from doing a great job with her homage to Judy Garland it’s really nice that Katie Holmes worked on the routine really hard to help draw more attention to the charity organization “Dizzy Feet Foundation.” Dizzy Feet Foundation’s mission is to “to support, improve, and increase access to dance education in the United States.” It is meant to help underpriviledged talented young dancers. They will start off by looking for 10 kids and offer them scholarship.

Of course, for the SYTYCD audience the highlight (or lowlight) of the 100th episode was the finding out who would be leaving that night. Like the judges I was very disappointed and surprised when Janette Manrara was voted off instead of Kayla Radomski. As Nigel Lythgoe said “America got it wrong” that night.

Oh well. Life goes on. As for the show we’ll see if it’ll be as interesting without my favorite around. I’m not saying that the other dancers are not high caliber but as anyone knows when your fave is out, out goes your excitement to watch a show.

Octomom Kids to Star in Reality Show

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octomomIt was only a matter of time till Octomom got her own reality show – and now she has. I wouldn’t have cared if it was only her that would appear on the show but of course we know that what she’ll really be cashing on would be her kids. Nadya Suleman has signed the deal with Eyeworks, a European production company. If it weren’t for the kids I would love for that show to bomb.

The reality tv show deal she’s signed stipulates that each of her 14 kids will be earning $250 a day. For this year they’ll be shooting for 36 days. On the second and third year they’ll be shooting for 21 days and 14 days respectively. What this means is that collectively the kids will make $250,000 over the next three years. Filming will start this September.

The only real good news about this whole thing is that the deal specifies that 15 percent of the earnings will automatically be deposited to the kids’ trust fund, which can’t be touched even by their mom, till they reach eighteen or they become legally emancipated. So I guess they’ll at least have some savings.

Seriously though I enjoy watching reality shows as much as the next person sometimes things can just sicken you. As always it’s the kids that have to suffer. At least there’s no marriage to split up here. Let’s just hope the kids somehow end up better off with this.

Comcast – Time Warner’s “TV Everywhere” Coming This Month

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timewarner-comcast-logoIf you’re one of those who are finding less and less time to watch TV but more and more time to go online, you’re probably one of those who are giving Comcast’s planned “TV Everywhere” test the thumbs up. “TV Everywhere” is Comcast’s answer to the growing number of people who are watching videos online and on mobile devices more and more. Instead of having to look for pirated version of TV shows online, “TV Everywhere” will allow cable subscribers to watch their favorite TV shows legally FOR NO EXTRA CHARGE. Since we love free stuff it is no surprise that 73% of Comcast and Time Warner cable subscribers surveyed by Solutions Research Group indicated that they think that “TV Everywhere” is an “excellent” or “good idea”.

So far 23 networks including HBO, TNT, and CBS, have signed up with Comcast. The online videos available thru “TV Everywhere” will generate income for Comcast and the networks via online ads. This is critical for the TV networks since greater competition among networks coupled with the recession has been hitting their ad revenue. They are counting on “TV Everywhere” to get more advertisers on board to supplement their current decreasing revenue. With the popularity of online videos it won’t be surprising if advertisers jump on the bandwagon. Of course, for us viewers, this can only be a win-win situation.

Comcast is expected to start testing this month. Only 5,000 households will be included in the test so cross your fingers and hopefully you will be included.

Digital TV: Are Your Ready for the Switch?

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tv-couponFriday is D-day for TV viewers across America because Friday is the last day when you can watch TV on your analog tv sets, unless you’re a cable or satellite subscriber or you have a new tv set.

So what exactly will be happening on June 12? On June 12 ALL tv stations will be switching completely to digital over the air broadcast television. No analog signal will be transmitted for your rabbit ear antennas to catch. The good news is that you won’t have to put up with grainy tv anymore but the bad news is that if you’re still relying on the rabbit ears you won’t be putting up with any tv at all.

So what can you do to make sure you will still be able to watch tv after Friday even if your TV isn’t equipped for getting digital signals? Here are some things you can do.

Subscribe to cable or satellite TV – The cable and satellite providers will be the one to do the analog to digital conversion for you. The problem with this is of course is more bills to pay and in this economy this is not the solution for everyone.

Buy a “digital to analog converter box” – I checked it out at Walmart.com and you can get these for $49.87. Again the problem is the cost but the good news is that the government has helped defray the cost by issuing $40 coupons at 2 coupons per household. You can get your coupon at the “TV Converter Box Coupon Program” website. Note though that as of the moment coupon issuance is on hold but you can still sign up and be waitlisted.