The analogue Channel Five service in the south coast area will be switched off as part of a reorganisation of TV signals ahead of digital switchover, it was announced today (28 Jan). The changes, due to take place on Wednesday, 25 March, 2009, will affect viewers in parts of Hampshire, east Dorset, West Sussex and the Isle of Wight.

On the same day as the analogue Channel Five switch off, existing digital terrestrial TV services (those received via an aerial), such as Freeview, Top Up TV or BT Vision, will move to new frequencies. Satellite and cable TV are not affected.

Follow these basic re-tune steps for set-top box, digital recorder or IDTV:

1. Press ‘Menu’ on your remote control. Some set-top boxes / digital recorders or IDTV’s will ask you for a code. If you have not already changed it, the default coe is usually 0000, or check your installation book.

2. From the menu options on screen, select ‘install’. Select ‘Auto Setup’ to re-tune your equipment (not ‘add channels’). You may have to wait a couple of minutes for the re-tune to complete.

3. If you do not re-tune your channels when advised to do so by Digital UK, you may lose some or all of your channels. You should re-tune your Freeview box every few months to check for any new channels.

An exciting range of Samsung LCD TVs has been announced for 2009 with the 6000, 7000 and 8000 series all featuring LED backlighting and Internet@TV technology.

A number of manufacturers believe that LED SmartLighting technology has the potential to elevate LCD to achieve plasma rivaling levels of black level ability. On the latest Samsung LCD TV’s its implementation replaces the conventional bar-style fluorescent backlight with hundreds of Light Emitting Diodes (LEDs).

This helps produce a claimed 2,000,000:1 contrast ratio along with a more natural color representation.

The flagship 8000 series features a 200Hz refresh rate while the 7000 and 6000 are all 100Hz. All of the new screens include USB connectivity, DLNA certification, super-slim design and Samsung’s latest incarnation of their Ultra Clear Panel technology.

In August 2008, Intel and Yahoo confirmed their intention to co-develop the Yahoo Widget Channel (Internet@TV). Widget technology enables TVs to connect to the Internet through “widgets,” bits of software that provided elements of web based content.

Allowing access to the internet via Ethernet cable or a Wi-Fi USB dongle Internet@TV will enable consumers to carry out tasks such as e-mailing friends, trading shares or checking the weather while watching programmes.

Sure to turn heads, the new panels feature a piano black bezel that fades into chrome. The neck of the stand is transparent ‘crystal,’ giving the illusion that the screen is ‘floating.’

The new Samsung LCD TVs are due to arrive in the UK this Spring. No prices have been announced as of yet, but watch this space for more info!

It’s hard to believe that a quarter of a century has passed since the first Apple Mac computer was launched. The highs and lows that Apple have faced in the past 25 years have been well documented but they are still a very strong contender in the industry and in the last three months alone 2.5 million Macs were sold worldwide. Here are some interesting facts:

The first Apple MacIntosh went on sale on January 24th 1984. This was the first commercially successful home computer to feature both a mouse based input system and a graphical user interface. It came with two applications; MacWrite and MacPaint – signalling the birth of desktop publishing and word processing. Although it only had 128 kb of memory and a 8mhz processor, it was still revolutionary in its time.

The second version of the Apple Mac met with stiff competition with the release of Windows ‘95 and the company suffered as a whole when Steve Jobs, a co-founder, left the company after a series of disputes.

in 1997, Steve Jobs returned to Apple and used his vision, business acumen, eye for detail and formidable negotiation skills to revive the Apple brand and the iMac was launched with a new sleek design.  Under Jobs’ watch, the Macintosh range gradually evolved from dull beige boxes to design icons in their own right. Apple began to build a reputation not only for solid and easy-to-use software, but for beautiful gadgets that could be lusted over as well as used.

1998 saw the launch of the iBook. Its compact proportions together with its cute, clamshell design proved to be particularly poplular with women and was a turning point in the company’s fortunes. The trendsetting character Carrie Bradshaw from Sex and the City was an avid fan of the iBook. This was perhaps the start of Apples cult status.

In 2002 Apple released a cleverly designed all in one iMac, which proved to be extremely easy to use and futuristic in its appearance.

In 2007, Apple changed its name from Apple Computers to simply Apple Inc. reflecting a wider focus for the company, and an acknowledgement that cutting-edge gadgets, such as the iPhone and iPod, were helping to bring its technology to a wider audience, and in turn driving consumers to discover other Apple products – younger consumers in particular associated Apples products as cool and ‘must haves’.

By late 2008 laptops were outselling desktop computers and to embrace that Apple announced a new look MacBook range fashioned from aluminium and glass.

What will the next 25 years bring for Apple?

At the size of a novel, the brand new portable laptop is set to be the big seller in 2009.

The Netbook has already taken over sales of the 2008’s top gadget, the iPhone. During last year’s third quarter, Apple shifted 4.7 million iPhones, compared to the 5.6 million netbooks sold in the same three-month period.

And the netbook market is expected to grow by 80% in 2009, with an IT research firm predicting that, by 2012, annual netbook sales will reach 50 million.

Luke Peters, deputy editor of T3, the technology and gadgets magazine says ‘They’re so portable. In a business environment, people are buying them for their size. And on a mainstream, consumer level, people are buying them because they’re cheap.’

Netbooks are perfect for businesspeople, sick of trying to type emails on a tiny Blackberry keyboard; students and their parents looking for a decent first laptop; and anyone who wants to Facebook on the move.

Mr Peter’s says ‘You can do almost anything on a netbook as long as it’s not graphics-rich gaming, or serious photo and video editing. A netbook’s power now is akin to a decent laptop from six or seven years ago.’

Thanks to a lack of mechanical moving parts such as CD drives, and the lower power requirements of their processors, they also have a long battery life making them great for long journeys.

In the present credit crunch, these are the sort of practical, low-cost specifications that most people will want from a new laptop.

And get this, they’ll even be a version available in Next!

Sad news that the last UK last major TV manufacturer in the UK is set to shut down its base in Lowestoft after failing to arrest a sharp fall in demand for its products.

Sanyo UK is proposing to shutdown its School Road factory by the end of next month with the loss of 60 jobs, Sanyo announced on the 12th of January.

At its height of production, Sanyo produced some 500,000 televisions a year, but the current economic crisis has dealt a fatal blow to the company’s fortunes.

The news was greeted with dismay yesterday, with a union leader describing it as a “sad day” for Lowestoft, and the area’s MP announcing he would be meeting with Sanyo’s boss today to see if there were any last-ditch hopes of saving the factory.

Sanyo announced drastic measures to revive its flagging fortunes at the end 2006, moving away from making domestic television sets to the production of large-screen public information monitors.

However, demand has dropped during the past 18 months and the company said it had been forced to propose the closure of its Lowestoft factory as a last resort.
A statement from Sanyo Industries UK vice-president Noel Salmon said:

“The current economic situation and price competitiveness have resulted in insufficient orders for the company to remain viable, despite major investment on both product and manufacturing technology.”

Japanese-owned Sanyo brought the former Pye factory from Philips and had enjoyed periods of strong growth in a competitive market.

Mark Robinson, regional officer for the Unite union, said:

“It is a sad day for Lowestoft. Sanyo has a long and proud history of making televisions on that site.”

The Local MP Bob Blizzard said:

“It is very, very disappointing and bad news for the staff affected. It seems that the company is a victim of the credit crunch.”

A sad day for the country that invented the TV in the 1930’s. Sanyo is also in talks with Panasonic about Panasonic taking Sanyo over which would lead to the creation of Japan’s biggest electronics maker.

The pundits agreed the Samsung had the best new TV’s at last weeks CES show. They announced three new LED LCD series, all of the new LCD TV’s feature LED backlights and have improved blacks, the high end with has a 240Hz refresh rate, and each just over an inch thick. Gizmodo have a nice picture showing the new ultra slim LCD TV’ here

The Samsung LNXXB8000, LNXXB7000 and LNXXB6000 HDTV’s are all slim ( approximately an inch/25mm”) Touch of Color bezels (the 8000 being in a new chrome and clear “prism” finish). The new TV Sets feature built-in Ethernet for Netflix streaming, as well as integration of the Yahoo Widget Engine, an open platform for third-party widgets for weather, Flickr photos, etc, The 6000 and 7000 series will come in 40, 46 and 55-inch sizes, with the 8000 series ditching the 40-incher.

Now, the differences: the LNXXB8000 is the only one to feature a 240Hz refresh rate. The LNXXB7000 looks to be the same deal in a different-coloured chassis and down to 120Hz. And the LUXIA LCD TV’s use 40% less power, featuring an optimized “energy savings mode”.

And, not to be forgotten, the traditional Samsung CCFL LCD TVs has got improvements as well, with 240Hz Motion Plus now standard on the new 7-series 750 LCD line. Series 6 LCDs and Series 8 Plasmas also get an update for 2009.

As you’d expect from Samsung, the LE32A457 LCD HDTV looks stunning. The thin frame, gloss black finish and smooth curves gives the HDTV a signature Samsung look that just makes rivals look crude and industrial.

It’s not just good looks that set the Samsung LE32A457 apart. Boasting the latest LCD screen this Freeview 32" Samsung HDTV  offers a superb contrast resolution of 10, 000:1. Combined with an above average brightness figure of 550cd/m2, the LE32A457 LCD TV provides a great viewing experience. Blacks are deeper and colours more vivid than you’d expect from a LCD TV of this price.

Twin rear-mounted HDMI (and one side-mounted) sockets allow for the connection of 3 High Definition sources, such as an HD-TV box, Xbox360’s and Blu-ray players. In addition to this the LE32A457 boasts two SCART sockets, and component and S-Video connections. The Samsung LE32A457 also has a PC input that makes this attractive LCD HDTV the perfect compliment to a home computer – as the LE32A457 features Samsung’s special Game Mode.

Although no match for a 5.1 or 7.1 home cinema system, the built-in SRS Tru-Surround system gives a useful boost to audio performance.

For a 32" LCD TV that matches style with a superb picture and sound performance, the Samsung LE32A457 is the new class leader and, thanks to AJ Electronics, it comes at a credit crunch busting price, too!

Today is the opening day of the world’s largest consumer electronics show, the 2009 International CES in Las Vegas. The show will bring together the whole electronics industry, with top end and emerging brands showcasing their latest technological advances.

CES 2009 will also bring together celebrities, sports icons and legendary musicians to experience and promote the latest products and technologies in the consumer electronics industry.

Here at Aj’s Electronics we pride ourselves in being top for high definition TVs, so lets have a look what LCD’s the top brands will have on display.

SHARP the official HDTV of the MLB (or rounder’s as we call it in the UK) will have a constellation of Major League Stars in their booth. SHARP will be displaying HDTVs with screen sizes from 19″ to 108″, home theatre front projectors, home theatre and conventional audio systems, Blu-ray players and cell phones.

Sony will be showcasing new series of high definition TVs with built in, interactive entertainment with the announcement of the first new BRAVIA LCD HDTV models with Internet applications called widgets that deliver real time information, as well as streaming video capability via integrated BRAVIA Internet Video Link.

Sony’s new XBR9 and Z-series models feature an Ethernet connection, allowing the sets to directly access Sony BRAVIA Internet Video content using an existing broadband connection.

Samsung is bringing the internet to the living room with the launch of a new service that enables viewers to access the web on their TVs. On display there will be a few new series 3, 4, 5 and 6 panels with the main focus being on their LED-backlit-ness with sizes ranging from 40-inches and up.

Panasonic is betting on high definition 3D TV technology and is planning in proposing a standard for Japan in the coming months. On their booth visitor will find top end HDTV like 0.33-inch thick Neo PDP Eco plasma TV and the 1-inch thick TC-P54Z1 VIERA plasma TV.

This is year at CES LG will be focusing on HDTV and mobile gear, with multidisplay laptop and HDTVs wired for broadband to Blu-ray players that can deliver Web content.

Samsung is rumoured to have managed to put an LED backlit HDTV into a 6.5mm thick housing, making this the worlds thinnest LCD HDTV

This super slim TV isn’t on the list for Samsung releases this year, meaning it’s most likely prototype fodder for the “thinnest HDTV” category that will surely get shown off at CES 2009 this week.

The current record holder for the thinnest HDTV is Philips with an 8mm prototype LCD TV, which was shown in Berlin last year at the IFA electronics show. Sony currently takes the prize for having the thinnest retail LCD television, a 9.9mm set that’s already on store shelves.

There have been OLED TVs announced that are even thinner, Sony’s 3mm  Xel-1 for example which is still in the coming soon category.

LG has two new high end LCD TVs at the CES Show designed for the UK market - the LG LF7700 LCD with integrated FreeSat support is LG’s response to the Panasonic’s TX-37LZD81.  A Plasma version is rumoured for release later in 2009.

To match Sony’s 200hz LCD TV Sets, LG also have a 200Hz LCD TV offering the LH5000. Using LG’s TruMotion 200HZ technology, its going head to head with Sony’s Motionflow for the crown for top HD TV.

AJ Electronics have both the Panasonic TX-37LZD81 and the Sony KDL40Z4500 in stock.

Note that CES opens on Thursday the 8th of January check back regularly for more CES news and commentary.