This week on Komplett.ie we’ve been running a huge TV sale, with models from Sony, Samsung and Philips on offer at huge discounts. On Tuesday, we gave you a rundown of the 32-ich models on offer and today we’ll have a quick look at three larger models in the Komplett sale, ranging in price from €689 to €799.

The ambient sensor will allow just enough brightness in the TV as the ambiance of the room demands.

Sony KDL-40EX600 – 40″ BRAVIA LCD-TV

For the size you’re getting and the picture quality included, this high-definition television really is great value at €799, down by a huge €140 in our sale. Sony uses ‘edge LED’ backlight technology in this series helping with both contrast levels and achieving “energy excellence” as the company puts it.

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Sky has confirmed it will launch Sky 3D later this year. The channel will be Europe’s first 3D TV channel and will beam into thousands of homes across Ireland on 1 October this year.

Bertie Ahern enjoys 3D TV coverage in between the odd pint of Bass.

A press release from the company tells how 3D TV demonstrations will be available in 13 Sky shops across the country over the coming weeks (full list below). The channel is very excited about showing the overblown nonsense that is Ryder Cup in three dimensions, while 3D movies like ‘Bolt’ and ‘Monster vs. Aliens’ will also get their “international 3D TV debuts” on the channel as well. Continue Reading

This week over on Komplett.ie we have a mahooosive TV sale, yes you heard us, mahooosive. There are price drops of up to €140 on some models with the sale spreading across 32-, 40- and 42-inch LCD and LED offerings from Samsung, Philips and Sony. We decided to take a closer look at what’s available in the sale, starting with a variety of 32-inch models, and where better to start but with the lowest price on offer – the very nifty Samsung LE32B450 4 Series LCD-TV for only €349.

The Samsung LE32B450 4 Series LCD-TV: "great level of depth in the pictures with some subtle shading".

Samsung LE32B450 – 32″ 4 Series LCD-TV

Called a “perfect blend of style, performance and value” by one review, this 32-inch model is down from €399 to €349 for this week’s sale. This Samsung model has ports and connectivity both in the rear and the left side of the unit, while in terms of picture and sound the LCD-TV-Reviews rundown of its merits says: Continue Reading

Hi folks, I hope you’re getting into weekend mode at this stage – there’s a few Budvars with my name on them in my fridge anyway. However, as you’re kicking back for the weekend I thought I’d remind you that this weekend, and indeed over the course of the next week we have a massive TV sale at over at Komplett.ie, with discounts of up to €140 on certain models.

There’s €140 off the Samsung UE32C6700 in the sale at Komplett.ie

We’ll be having a proper run through the merits of some of the TVs on offer – from industry stalwarts such as Samsung, Sony and Philips – on Monday, but for now have a gander yourself to see if anything takes your fancy.

Have a good one!

The summer lull is as evident as ever on the games industry, with June’s retails sales of hardware, software and accessories down by 6% compared to the same time last year. Microsoft’s introduction of the new Xbox 360 250GB has seen sales of the console bounce by 88% (to 452,000 units) compared to last year though.

'Red Dead Redemption' for the Xbox 360 was June's best-selling title

These US-based figures (in which total games industry sales were said amounted to $1.1 billion) from market research giants, NPD Group show that game software took the biggest tumble, falling by 15% to  $531.3 million. Hardware sales climbed 5% to $401.7 million.

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Considering the company’s current concentration on all things 3D, it’s no surprise that Sony has announced its new point-and-shoot digital cameras, due to launch in August, can take 3D panoramic photos.

Sony Cyber-Shot DSC-TX9.

Though 3D-capable cameras are nothing new, two new additions to Sony’s 2010 Cyber-shot line – the Sony Cyber-shot DSC-WX5 and Cyber-shot DSC-TX9 – are notable for their 3D-shooting capabilities. According to Sony, they’re the first everyday point-and-shoot cameras that offer 3D imaging capabilities, and they create 3D photos with a single lens. Continue Reading

Sony is attempting to solve one of the main 3D-related gripes of home cinema fans by launching a range of three-dimensional-friendly home cinema systems capable of receiving and passing on 3D Blu-ray video signals.

The HT-AS5, not for fans of minimalism perhaps.

The new Sony new line-up comprises two surround sound/amplifier combis – the HT-AS5 and HT-AF5 – and the BDV-470SS, a “complete system” that adds a 3D Blu-ray player. Continue Reading

Released here in the middle of this month, the newly slim Xbox 360 is apparently a huge hit in the US already, with Microsoft excitedly releasing a statement talking about how the Xbox 360 250GB (as it’s been quite boringly dubbed) is “experiencing unprecedented demand” from retailers.

"Sleeker, smaller, and whisper-quiet."

Following on from a major launch at E3 last month – which came hot on the heels of the shiny, happy MTV unveiling of the motion-based Kinect – Micrsoft said, “Consumers are eager to experience this new console, completely redesigned for the future of entertainment: sleeker, smaller, and whisper-quiet.”

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Sony has released a statement today which warns of a potential fault that can cause certain models in its popular Vaio notebook range to overheat. However, there doesn’t appear to be any chance of a mass recall (with 535,000 Vaio’s affected by the issue), as Sony claims the issue can be rectified via an update.

No recall just yet, just the update for now.

The statement tells how Sony recently, “became aware of a potential issue affecting certain notebooks within the Vaio VPCF11- and VPCCW2-series, available on the market in Europe since January 2010″. Adding, “In rare cases, these notebook computers can overheat due to a potential malfunction of the internal temperature management system.” Continue Reading

Now this comes from a translation so it’s difficult to take this is gospel but Sony CEO Kaz Hirai has reportedly made some less than complimentary remarks about the capabilities of naked-eye 3D in a magazine interview in Japan.

Practicing his evil laugh no doubt, Kaz Hirai’s reported comments are pretty thinly veiled.

While he doesn’t mention the Nintendo 3DS specifically, he does comment that  “internally conducted research” at Sony has shown that glasses-free 3D lacks “precision” and at present has “limitations”. Given that the 3DS is the only naked-eye 3D platform out there at present you can take it that Hirai was focusing on it with his comments. Continue Reading

The e-reader wars have begun in earnest (well, in the US anyway) as some of the biggest selling devices in the market went beneath the $200 mark. Amazon’s Kindle and the Nook from US book giant, Barnes & Noble have both dropped prices significantly, with the former falling by a huge $70 to $189 (€154). Barnes & Noble meanwhile lowered the price on its 3G compatible Nook to $199 (€162) from $259 (€211).

A Reuters report notes that shares in both companies fell about 3% as investors feared intense competition (hello iPad) could lure away buyers of e-books. Profit margins on Barnes & Noble’s Nook and Amazon’s Kindle are estimated by analysts to be relatively modest, but the devices are important to attracting book buyers.

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Microsoft has explained its reason for not jumping on the 3D gaming bandwagon yet, and it’s just about the most obvious excuse you could get: money. Neil Thompson, the UK head of Xbox, has revealed that the technology involved in supporting 3D gaming is just too expensive at the moment.

Microsoft is approaching 3D gaming with a lot of caution for now.

Thomspon said that: “If you look at the costs of entry into the living room and when that’s going to become mass-market, we think the offering with Kinect and the natural user-interface we’re bringing, that’s a more compelling proposition for consumers over the coming years than maybe looking at 3D at this point.” Continue Reading