Good by LocationFree, hello Vaio Base Station LV-V30 (”with LocationFree technology”). We were hoping Sony didn’t kill LFTV, and thankfully it looks like that’s not the case. The LF-V30 takes component in/out and converts into standard def and QVGA, and will run you about $250 come September. Another hot shot after the break.

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Besides moving low-priced HD DVD players, the HD DVD Promotional Group is taking advantage of Home Media Expo 2007 to announce its most recent sales data, with HD DVD going up, and Blu-ray going down. Specifically, the Nielsen Netratings mentioned show HD DVD hardware sales up 37 percent, and software sales up 20 percent from the first to the second quarter of this year. Over the same period, overall Blu-ray hardware sales (no word on if this includes the PlayStation 3 or not) were down 27 percent and software sales down 5 percent. Shockingly, this trend is attributed to aggressive marketing campaigns and cheaper standalone HD DVD players hitting the market, causing a 183 percent increase in dedicated player sales for the quarter, and over 180,000 players (up from 100k back in April) sold altogether. Whether HD DVD focus on standalones over consoles gives them an edge is unknown, but it seems like Blu-ray may be catching on to the strategy of giving away movies and cutting prices.

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Shortly after Samsung and Hitachi unveiled their swank HDTV lineups, along comes Pioneer with a sexy plasma lineup of its own to shake things up. The KURO displays are segmented into two divisions, one which includes the 42- and 50-inch standard KUROs, and the other packing “Elite” KUROs of the same sizes. The 42-inch versions sport a 1,024 x 768 resolution panel, four independent HDMI 1.3 inputs, a built-in CableCARD slot, advanced PureCinema with 3:3 pulldown, and more tweakable settings than you can shake a stick at. The 50-inch flavors up the ante with a 1,365 x 768 resolution, and the Elite versions add the Home Media Gallery, come ready for ISFccc calibration, and include a few more choices throughout the display setting menus. Pricing and availability information doesn’t look to be available just yet, but judging solely by the specifications on these beauties, we’d say you better bring the purse (as in, the whole thing) if looking seriously at one of these.

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It’s been a tick since we’ve seen any swank LCDs come out of BenQ’s doors, but we’re quite pleased that the SH4241 seems to be a finely tuned piece that could prove worth the wait. Unfortunately, there’s not too much dirt on this one just yet, but we do know that the 42-inch LCD HDTV will sport a piano black finish, black / red accents, bottom-mounted speakers, a 1,920 x 1,080 resolution, and a mysterious assortment of ports that AV freaks and gamers will apparently drool over. No word just yet on price nor availability, but we’ll be sure to keep an eye on this (admittedly attractive) set.

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Hey, mundane PowerPoint presenters need to interact with their tunes from afar too, right? Apparently, Keyspan sure thinks so, as its Presentation Remote Pro not only provides a 100-foot range to flip through slides, but it also plays nice with Apple’s Keynote software, sports audio controls, and packs an obligatory laser pointer for movie theater antics. Moreover, it’s entirely plug ‘n play capable with both Windows and OS X-based machines, and doubles as a mouse with integrated cursor control, scrolling, and two-button clicking capabilities, too. Of course, $79 may seem a bit high for a wireless substitute for your right index finger, but just put it on the corporate card and fuhgetaboutit. Check out another angle after the break.

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It’s with mixed emotions that we announce the latest Sony camcorder, as even it has shamelessly hopped on the YouTube bandwagon and catered a product specifically to those looking to snag their own 15 minutes seconds of fame. ‘Course, we can’t help but love the five-megapixel sensor crammed into the five-ounce device — which enables it to capture video in MPEG-4 at 15fps QVGA or 30fps VGA resolutions — but Sony makes no secret that the standout feature on the Net-sharing CAM is its ability to pre-format footage and easily publish content to sites such as YouTube and Crackle. Additionally, the device sports a built-in flash, 4x digital zoom, a 2.4-inch color LCD, and a rechargeable Li-ion that only lasts about 90 minutes per charge. Thankfully, Sony doesn’t plan on charging an awful lot for this shooter either, as interested buyers can snatch one up for just $200 this September.

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Falling right in line with the news TiVo CEO Tom Rogers hinted at back in March, the struggling company is readying the highly anticipated HD Series 3 “Lite,” which will target a much wider range of consumer with a price point of around $299. Some tenacious (and possibly connected) fans posted specs and pics on the TiVo Community forums, much to the delight of broke DVR users across the globe. The new model will axe the OLED display and THX certification, and swap the deluxe remote for a standard model, but the specs remain fairly close otherwise. Here’s a geeked-out rundown to keep everyone psyched: BCM740x DVR CPU with integrated MPEG-2 and MPEG-4 decoders, 1x dual MPEG-2 encoder, 2x Samsung S5H1411-based tuners, 128Mb DDR SDRAM, and a 160Gb SATA HD (down from the Series 3’s 250GB drive). All in all, a pretty attractive package when you don’t have a lot of cash to burn.

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It looks like Sony’s finally deemed it necessary to offer an updated version of Sega’s Game Gear TV tuner, with the company today announcing its 1seg TV tuner for the PlayStation Portable. That technological distinction of course means that the device won’t be making its way to North America (at least in its current form), but PSP users in Japan will soon be able to pick up some digital TV signals for the not unreasonable price of ¥6,980 (or about $57). There is a catch, however, in that the device is apparently only compatible with the new, slimmer PSP — hopefully not a sign of further things to come from Sony. If that’s not a deal-breaker for ya, you’ll be able to grab one on September 20th.

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The Hurdle Light’s simple design allows for the lamp to function either as an illuminating bar or a more traditional lamp. A built-in sensor let’s the Hurdle know when it’s acting as one or the other, and only keeps the appropriate portions lit. It earned a Special Mention in the 2007 Lightouch Design Competition in Singapore, so the Hurdle is still just a concept. Click through for some more pictures.

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Aim this distinct underneath directed by “Rumor”, on the other hand it looks by reason of allowing Toshiba last wishes deal in a HD-DVD player concerning the meager value of 100 dollars. The nominal compliance decision matchless ultimate the 22nd to the 29th of this moon, consequently you’ll lone enjoy a brief window of situation absent-minded to big money modern. These dates were allot because of Toshiba to assent prep added to the upcoming Habitation Public relations Expo.

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