Chief launches its Thinstall ultra-thin swing arm mount and accessory family at CEDIA Expo 2011.

Thinstall mounts come in a sleek design ideal for LED, LCD and plasma TVs-- collapsing to either 33mm or 38mm with smooth Centris fingertip tilting, all in forged steel and aluminium.

Centerless lateral shift provides up to 406mm of post-install lateral shift, and installers can make height and levelling adjustments of up to 25mm following installation.

Chief provides all necessary hardware for mounting on wood, concrete or brick walls (screws, spacers and hex keys) as well as multiple cable paths (enclosed with covers).

The wide-open wall plate allows quick mount placement and power connection, and Chief says a single person can mount the system's top rail before sliding on the entire assembly.

Go Chief Thinstall Mounts

Toshiba will demonstrate its latest TVs at IFA 2011-- now carrying its multi-processor platform, the Cevo Engine.

The company says each of the Cevo engine's individual components carry out specialised tasks to ensure optimised performance, improving image quality and 3D as well as networking and recording functions.

Tosiba's IFA stand will house its Personal-TV concept-- using face recognition to identify users before setting picture and sound to their individual user profile.

Also on show is a slew of 3D displays (either with or without 3D glasses) using both 3D sources and generating 3D content from 2D sources.

Go Toshiba Cevo Engine

Global internet-enabled CE shipments (TVs, game consoles and Blu-ray players) will exceed those of the traditional means of getting on the internet-- the PC-- by 2013, according to IHS iSuppli.

iSuppli says 2010 shipments of such devices total 161M, and will grow to 503.6M by 2013 before reaching 780.8M in 2015.

In comparison, PC shipments will total 433.7M in 2013 (from 345.4M in 2010) and 479.7M in 2015.

The analyst predicts future consumers will access their online content through their TVs rather than using a PC-- with the home's biggest screen becoming the centre of the so-called "digital living room."

Internet-enabled STBs and Blu-ray players will also grow rapidly in the future-- with Blu-ray players having a predicted CAGR of 37.9% over the next 5 years, thanks to growing HD display uptake.

Set-top boxes will offer their own special features, including content from multiple sources (such as video on demand) together with offerings from cable and satellite providers.

Go It's 2011-- Where's My Connected Home? (iSuppli)

Nearly 30% of W. European households with broadband access show interest in TV Everywhere services-- live TV on mobile phone, tablet or PC-- according to Park Associates' Connected Consumer in Europe survey.

Connected CE penetration in W. European nations currently stands at around 30 - 40%, with games consoles being the devices most commonly connected to the internet.

Meanwhile 30% of blu-ray player owners use their media players to watch online video on their TVs.

Park Associates says multiscreen services are becoming increasingly popular across W. Europe, as customers demand more flexibility in viewing video content such as movies and TV.

Almost 50% of survey respondents also want DVR-recorded content access on internet-connected devices, while 37% want to receive online video on TV (particularly in France and the UK).

Go Demand for TV Everywhere Widespread in W. Europe

3DTV owners make good use of their purchase by watching 3D content on a regular basis, according to Strategy Analytics' latest research.

The analyst says 41% of 3DTV owners in Europe and the US watch 3D content at least once a day (if not several times a day), while over 66% claim to watch at least one 3D show weekly.

These findings should be encouraging to content producers looking to work into 3D content-- it appears there's an audience for 3D after all. And if there's quality 3D content, 3DTV ownership should also rise.

Strategy Analytics says “3DTV is confounding the skeptics and gaining traction with early adopters.”

The typical 3DTV owner has two pairs of 3D glasses-- while 13% don't own any.

The anlayst says the purchase of additional glasses is "seen as a barrier," with 53% of survey participants saying they would buy more pairs of 3D glasses if prices were lower.

Ultimately, customers would rather not have to wear 3D glasses to begin with-- even if the majority of 3DTV owners are ready to put up with glasses if the 3DTV experience proves to be entertaining enough.

Go 3DTVs: Buying Intentions and Early Adopter Feedback (Strategy Analytics)

Crestron launches an addition to its V-Panel range with the V24-C, combining full touch screen navigation, high performance graphics, HD video and DigitalMedia 8 connectivity in a 24" display.

It connects to Crestron's DGE-2 digital graphics engine, providing access to all digital media your customers want (with HDCP support) and internet access, without needing a separate computer.

Image-wise it features S-PVA technology, for rich colours, black depth and contrast, with ultra-wide 178 degree horizontal and vertical viewing angles.

Navigation is gesture-based, with colourful 3D icons and on-screen keyboard and mouse capabilities. Users can even connect a physical keyboard and mouse via built-in USB port.

One can hide the DGE-2 graphics engine (and related AV source wiring) up to 100m away in the main equipment rack, while DM input allows signal transmission over single CAT5e or DM 8G cable.

Go Crestron V24-C