See Mr Spock and Captain Kirk as they were meant to be seen warts and all as the digitally remastered version of the original Star Trek comes to Freesat. Three new CBS channels are due to launch on Freesat, November 16 - CBS Drama, CBS Reality and CBS Action - replacing Zone Romantica, Zone Reality and Zone Thriller.

Other classic shows on the three channels include Dynasty, Moonlighting and Models Inc. Freesat, the subscription-free satellite TV service offers over 140 channels and free high-definition (HD) programmes from the BBC and ITV. CBS Drama, CBS Reality and CBS Action will be on channels 135, 136 and 137 respectively.

www.freesat.co.uk

There is going to be a time soon when someone will be giving Freeview boxes away with cereal packets. Until then though retailer Aria has just gone live with a Freeview box for the paltry sum of just £12.95.

The Digilogic Mini SCART Freeview Receiver has no bells or even a solitary whistle, but it can pull in all the usual channels, is accompanied by a remote control and has its own electronic programme guide.

US company VIZIO is really starting to annoy us now. Over the past few years this Californian-based Taiwanese backed company has become a huge player in the US TV market and apparently is number one in sales of LCD TVs. And today they have unveiled what looks like the very first small LED backlit LCD HDTVs.

The two models, a 23inch 1080p model (VM230XVT) and a 19inch set (VM190XVT), are both very skinny, offer high contrast levels, efficient energy consumption and apparently deliver quality pictures - just like most LED backlit LCD HDTVs. Unlike rival sets though they can also double as a picture frame via USB connection and like most VIZIO products they are very competitively priced with the 23inch model going for less than $400.

So why is all this annoying? Well so far VIZIO has no distribution in the UK. In fact they only started shipping to Canada last year. Come on guys - how about a few tweaks to your sets and then a deal with Amazon? It's easy to do this stuff these days isn't it?

More at Engadget

Available now for just £129.95, August International's DA701C is an all-in-one Freeview TV recorder and Media Player.

It's 7 inch screen is paired with an antenna for picking up shows outdoors, and the rechargeable battery should remove the need to carry around a ton of AA Duracells to use it.

The DA701C receives over 40 Freeview channels, 5 analogue channels as well as Freeview radio stations. It also plays AVI video, MP3s, WAV, and photos in JPEG format directly from memory cards, USB sticks or from external media with a USB interface. In a nice touch, the TV also has the ability to record Freeview TV on to an USB memory stick or external hard drive .

The device can also output to TV, though why you'd ever need to hook it up to your 60 inch plasma screen is beyond us.

Here is the full spec list:

Main Features:

·Receives digital Freeview TV / Radio and Analogue TV
· 7" 16:9 LCD display, resolution480 x 234 pixels
· Supports red button MHEG5 UK interactive teletext
· Real time & scheduled Freeview TV recording via USB
·Supports 7day Electronic Program Guide and Subtitles
· Plays MP3, WAV, JPEG, MPEG4 & AVI files
· SD/MMC card reader & USB port for media playback
· Supports PAL & SECAM
· Sleep & wake-up function
· Built-in stereo speakers and earphone jack
· Power supply from built-in rechargeable battery, mains and car adaptors
· Dimension: 191x143x27.5 mm (without stand)
· Weight: 586g net (without stand)

In/Output Ports:

·AV Out
· SD/MMC Card Reader
· USB Port
· External Antenna In
·Earphone Jack
· Power Input

Accessories:

· AC power adaptor
· 12-24v car adaptor
· Portable digital antenna with magnetic base
· Remote control with battery
· AV cable
· Stand
· User's manual

Panasonic clearly thinks it is on to a winner with 3DTV. The company, which of all the big consumer electronics brands seems to have invested the most in the format, now wants to hammer that message home to UK consumers. So it is embarking on a UK tour to show people in 10 English towns what 3D TV is capable of.

Apparently a trio of mobile Full HD 3D theatres will visit shopping centres to preview Panny's Neo PDP Full HD TV technology 3D content but also to show what the new breed of Viera Cast sets are capable of.

The roadshow's itinerary includes...

Grand Designs, NEC Birmingham, (October 9-11); The Bull Ring, Birmingham (15-18); The Trafford Centre, Manchester (22-25); Cabot Circus, Bristol (29-November 1; Bluewater, Kent (Nov 5-8); Centre MK, Milton Keynes (12-15); Gatwick North (19-22); Lakeside, Kent (26-29); Metro Centre, Newcastle (December 3-6); and Westfield, London (8-13).

There's a good round up on 3DTV and what Sky intends to do with it here

More info here

New from I Want One of Those is a Digital TV and Multimedia Player for under £100.

OK it's only got a teeny, tiny 3.5inch screen but for use out and about this seems great - no idea what picture quality is like yet. Thanks to a digital tuner you can watch all the Freeview channels, though you will need to hook the device to your TV aerial first to download all the available channels.

Using the SD card the gadget also doubles as a video or digital audio (MP3 player)

I Want One of Those

Interesting piece over on www.oled-info.com about how much money you will save with a 'green' TV. It has picked up on research from an Israeli newspaper that shows if you buy a Samsung 40inch green LED TV it will take over 166 years to offset the difference in price over a conventional LCD screen.

The newspaper has made the calculation, assuming that you watch 4 hours of TV a day. It has worked out that Samsung's 40inch LED TV consumes almost half the amount of electricity when compared to normal 40inch LCD TVs (95Kw/h vs 175 Kw/h). This works out a little over a dollar a month in terms of electricity savings. But the cost of the set is more than double. Would be interesting if these results are replicated in the UK but they probably are quite similar.

All TV makers are now offering green or eco TVs. Usually they still sell their normal TV, and the new green model is offered at a premium. Some use LED technology to reduce power consumption, and some use ideas like an optical sensor that knows if you leave the room and shuts down the screen, or an 'eco-mode' button that reduces brightness by 20%. But it seems that while they might save energy, they make little financial sense right now.

Via Oled Info