Home Entertainment Show: TV Goes 1080p

This week's Home Entertainment Expo is the first time I've had a chance to check out the new 1080p hi-defs we wrote about recently. They look great, of course, and after I got over my serious case of wallet envy (high-end audio and video shows will do that to you), I realized that 1080p will be a big thing this summer. Several new models are set to launch. A few of the drool-inducing details:



Samsung was showing a couple DLP TVs that bring 1080p to a surprisingly affordable price point. The pedestal-mounted 56-inch HL-R5688W looks extremely cool and will be one of the first 1080p sets available, launching in June or July for $5199.

The 68-series DLP TVs use a more standard cabinet, and--if I'm reading my notes correctly--the 56-inch HL-R5668W also supports 1080p for a pretty reasonable $4499. Other models in the series include the 61-inch HL-R6168W for $4799 and the 67-inch HL-R6768W for $6199.

Of course, if you have $12,999 burning a hole in you pocket, you could always wait for Samsung's LN-R460D, a 1080p LCD TV which also features LED backlighting.

HP is also headed to the 1080p party with 65-inch and 58-inch DLP TVs expected to ship towards the end of the summer.



Finally, for those of us with less stratospheric budgets, Samsung's SlimFit CRTs may be a better fit. The 30-inch TX-R3079WH is a widescreen high-def model priced at $1099. While it weighs the same as a standard CRT, it's considerably less bulky because the depth of the picture tube has been slashed from around 23 inches to 16 inches.