Allio has gone and done what we wish every HDTV manufacturer would attempt already. They've shoved a full-blown media PC into a 1080p LCD TV. Coming in sizes up to 42 inches, buyers can customise a set that features a Vista-powered PC with a Core2Duo, 4GB of RAM, Wi-Fi, 1TB of storage and a Blu-ray player. And maxed out with these specs, the system only runs $US2,800. So what's the catch? We noticed at least two that may or may not be dealbreakers.

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100 Hertz, 100 Schmertz. If you really want smooth motion in your fast-moving action scenes, you need a TV with 200Hz technology. Apparently. Fortunately for you, Sony is bringing the goods, so all you need to do is bring the cash, and a transaction can be made. The Z Series Bravia includes three models: a 40-inch, 46-inch and a 52-inch, going for $3,399, $4,099 and $5,099 respectively. We've seen the MotionFlow 200Hz in action, and it looks the goods, especially for fast-moving games, so if you're into that kind of thing, you might want to get into this kind of thing. Or you might want to wait until next year when the ZX1 lands, which brings 200Hz and a 9.9mm thin body - Your call.

[Sony]

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Today in Korea, LG debuted a "Bluetooth Digital Television" allowing a user to either listen to the TV with a stereo Bluetooth headset or change the channel with makeshift Bluetooth remotes (like an LG phone, for instance). We've already seen Bluetooth and similar frequencies exploited by this generation of game consoles, and given its advantages over IR (no need for line of sight and the clarity of data transfer), we really hope that LG starts a new trend. The BDTV will be available in Europe soon, but not the US. [Aving]

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Yeah, Best Buy is known for using less-than-kosher tactics to pull in extra loot, but this is pretty despicable, even for them, since it manipulates the fact that most people have heard you need to a calibrate an HDTV for the best picture. At a demo for their $US300 Geek Squad calibration service in an NC store, they have two identical HDTVs showing ESPN—one calibrated, which looks fantastic, and one that's supposedly not, which looks like total arse. That would be because it's showing standard def ESPN next to the "calibrated" set's ESPN HD. But it's even worse than that.

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What did you do on the weekend? Hopefully some of you were plotting ways to walk away with this 42-inch LCD TV from LG.

We've had a few entries so far, with one of them far out in front. Remember people - this isn't a photoshop contest. We need you guys to go out into the real world and show them the Gizmodo logo...

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Way back in 2005, Samsung technically showed off a 40-inch OLED screen. We didn't want to be rude and say anything at the time, but it wasn't sporting HD resolution and the contrast ratio was a measly 5,000:1. Now Samsung is showing off their new 40-inch OLED (that's a mere 8.9mm thick), and needless to say, its specs are more than a little worth our attention.

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While promising display technologies like SED have pretty much disappeared from the Earth, Mitsubishi has actually begun shipping their absolutely incredible 65" LaserVue TVs. These sets suck less power than LCDs and feature two times the colour of most competitive sets. Oh...but these sets still run almost $US7,000 a pop. So that whole inexpensive aspect we'd heard about originally has been quietly swept under the rug for the time being. [LaserVue via Electronista]

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One of the biggest battles Blu-ray has on its hands (aside from fighting the infinite format war), is that to really take full advantage of its Full HD picture, you need to have a Full HD TV. And those things aren't cheap. That's why Samsung are giving away one of their BD-P1500 Blu-ray players with the purchase of selected Samsung TVs. That way, you get both Blu-ray player and TV at the same time.

Of course, you'll still need to fork out the coin for the actual Blu-ray discs (hint: start with Iron Man - It's frickin' awesome!), and there's a $30 "postage, handling and administration" fee (so it's not really free), but you get something worth $500 for next to nothing, so stop your whinging.

The full list of eligible Samsung TVs is below the fold. The offer is valid up until December 24.

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While high HDTV prices may have made this day seem improbable, iSuppli is reporting that HDTV shipments have outpaced SDTV shipments in 2008. And iSuppli doesn't see HDTV growth slowing any time soon, ballooning by a compound annual growth rate of 20% through 2012 when an estimated 241.2 million HDTVs will ship. By that time, iSuppli projects that just 23.1 million SDTVs will hit store shelves. Sorry standard def. At least your spirit lives on in YouTube, Amazon Unbox and crappy video streams everywhere. [iSuppli via InformationWeek and image]

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Reviews of Mitsubishi's $US7000 laser-lit stunner have been rolling in for a bit, but HD Guru (who helped us buy an HDTV like a pro) has the first truly sophisticated technical evaluation—after watching it for 12 hours straight—of the best use of lasers in your living room yet. Not only does it have the most eye-popping colours, detailed blacks and pupil-squeezing brightness of any set he's tested, it uses less power than a 100-watt bulb, making it the greenest too.

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