Last week we were privileged to see a sneak preview into LG’s plans for Plasma TVs for the next year or so. In the short term, they have launched a number of new Plasma TVs, which we have featured below. However, LG were kind enough to discuss some of their products and plans for 2009, and we were very impressed with what they’ve got coming. We’re not allowed to talk about the unique features these TVs might feature, but suffice to say, if LG release everything they mentioned, LG should be in for a very good 2009, and be on target to increase their market share.

However, let’s get back to the new TVs which should formally launch this week, and be available in the shops in the next few weeks (and certainly in time for Xmas)…

Firstly, and this is a UK first, LG have released a 32″ HD Ready Plasma TV. For those with smaller living rooms (or for those looking for a good size Plasma for the bedroom), this TV should suffice. The LG 32PG6000 is a very nice looking TV, and part of the 6000-series of Plasmas. It features built in Freeview, a frameless design (the screen and the frame are seamless), 100Hz, 4 HDMI inputs (very useful!), and USB 2. All these TVs feature invisible speakers; they all have speakers, but they certainly don’t stand out in the way that speakers used to be obvious.

Further up the range, we have the LG 50PG6900, which is a 50″ HD Ready Plasma TV. This TV does not just feature built in Freeview, it has a 160GB Freeview PVR built right into the back of the TV. Again, it’s a 100Hz TV, with 3 HDMI inputs.

Finally, we saw the LG 50PG7000, which is a 50″ Full HD Plasma TV. Unfortunately, it wasn’t being fed a Full HD source, but even without that, we could see this was a very nice TV. It’s a 100Hz 1080p Plasma, with the 4 HDMI inputs and USB 2. However, this TV also features Bluetooth 2.0, which can be used for 2 functions. Firstly, it can be used by Mobile Phones to send or stream content direct to the TV. Secondly, it could also be used with Stereo Bluetooth Headsets to allow either more privacy, or to allow viewers to watch the TV at different volumes.

No pricing was available last week, but we should see street pricing within the next few weeks. Thanks to the guys at LG Blog for inviting us along.

Freeview has announced that it will be rebranded the Freeview Playback PVR brand to Freeview+ bringing it in line with Sky+ and V+. The Freeview DVRs already have a similar spec to their rivals, including recording programmes and pausing live TVs. Of course, many of us would love to see a TiVo Freeview+ device as we first discussed here.

Story courtesy of Tech Digest.

Engadget has reprinted an article where Tom Rogers (TiVo boss) has stated that he hopes that they will relaunch TiVo in the UK “soon”. It’s been about 8 years now, and with most of the UK Gadgeteer team owning at least 1 TiVo, we can’t wait for their re-entry into the UK market. No information is available, although it’s more likely to be Freeview or Freesat based than offering full Sky support.

Engadget story [Via Automated Home]

Freesat is now available in the UK. This offers TV viewers access to a whole host of TV channels via a satellite dish. It should be available to 98% of all UK homes, and will be especially welcome to those not able to get Freeview. Right now, it’s about 80 channels, but it’s supposed to reach 200 channels before the end of the year. The set top box will cost between £49 and £120 (for a High Def version), and then the cost of installation (including dish) will be a further £80. In the coming months, a HD recorder should also become available, as well as the possibility for an IDTV module. It will be interesting to see how popular this is over the coming months, and exactly what channels are made available.

More information at Freesat.

For £5 per month, the BT Vision service will now offer PictureBox from Universal, which offers a choice of 28 films per month. BT Vision already offers a range of monthly subscription packages, and this new one should go live on 5th May. The PictureBox service is already available on TopUp Anytime (Freeview based) and Tiscali TV (cable based). BT promise the films will not have already aired on Free to Air TV channels, although they may have already featured on other premium services.

BT Vision uses a Freeview PVR box, but to get BT Vision you must already have a BT Home Hub (ie be a BT Broadband customer). However, the self-install version of the service includes 2 Powerline adaptors allowing you to use the power cables to connect the PVR with the Home Hub if they are in different rooms or different locations. A nice touch there, with someone thinking through the average UK house design…

Ofcom have announced that we should have at least 4 HD (Hi-Def) channels broadcasting on Freeview in time for the 2012 London Olympics. Some of these channels could come online as early as 2009, in the areas where analogue TV has been turned off. The BBC will get one of the channels, and the other three will be auctioned off.

Story courtesy of Reuters.

Archos have produced a number of Freeview based PMP units over the last few years. Now Hauppage have released their competing model, the Hauppage pMP. The 3.5″ display should be good for the occasional TV watching, although it’s a little small, although the device itself is a nice size (12 x 7.8 x 2 cm, weighing 200g) and includes a rechargeable Li-Ion battery to give around 4 hours of playback. It also includes EPG and and text functions. In terms of support, it will pay MP3 and WAV audio, and MPEG4, XviD and DivX 4.0 and 5.0 video files.

It should be on sale in April for around £115, a lot less than a typical Archos unit, so we’ll be keeping our eyes on for this one to see how well it fares.

Some content courtesy of Engadget and Gizmondo.