We're not quite sure what makes this a "multimedia-capable LCD HDTV" more so than any other TV tuner-equipped LCD HDTV, but we'll go with it for the sake of simplicity.
ViewSonic has introduced a 24-inch LCD HDTV (native 1080p resolution) with a built-in ATSC / NTSC / QAM tuner, an internal "media player," a USB port for loading up clips and an RS-232 control port for home automation gurus. Alongside that $449 panel, which is set to ship in Q2 of this year, the company also introducing its 42-inch ultrathin bezel CD4230 LCD at the Digital Signage Expo in Las Vegas, which features 500 nits of brightness, a 1,500:1 contrast ratio, RS-232 port, VGA / DVI sockets, support for VESA mounting and carry handles for easy transport. It'll also land in Q2, but for $1,999.
posted Feb 28th 2009 8:25AM
Is it because it includes a mediacenter PC unit somewhere in its innards?
Now that more and more people( at least here in Scandinavia) get TV, Internet, and phone lines, piped direct into their homes via optic fiber cables; and that PC (with SSD) have become the size of packs of smokes; it surprise me that no TV maker has come out with decent TV/PC combo: our TVs are hoocked to the web anyway.
Not that I would buy one, but I'm sure they would have a market.
When digitally-illiterate people come to my house they marvel at how all monitors/HTPC/TVs/laptops etc. in my house share all their sources and the broadband connection, and yet they too get their TV, phone and internet via the same optic cable as I do, they are just unaware of the possibilities.
I own the VT2430 which I use as a bedroom TV; I got it because of its cheep cheep price for 1080. The panel is mediocre (fair amount of light-leakage around the edges) but its fine for the bedroom, particularly for OTA DTV. I suppose that the "media player" in this new unit means that it'll be able to play certain video codecs from the USB port; the devil will be in the details on that one. It appears to be aimed more at the commercial signage market.