Marks and Spencers have teamed up with Samsung to deliver a new branded lifestyle app to the Korean tech firm's Smart TV platform.

It lets users check out a variety of useful tips, ranging from recipe suggestions to fashion trends, hot technology to tasty wines.

The app currently lacks the functionality to allow a user to shop directly from their sofas, but it's surely only a matter of time before an update allowing this to happen is piped through.

"The development of the M&S Smart TV App highlights the popularity of Smart TV as the most immersive and interactive format for consumers," said Guy Kinnell, marketing director for TV, Samsung UK.

And indeed, connected sets are quickly adding a variety of apps to their systems. Everything from RightMove estate agents apps to BBC iPlayer, Lovefilm, YouTube, Teletext Holidays, Thomson Local, Facebook and Twitter can now be accessed.

The free Marks and Spencers app is available from the Samsung Apps section of a Samsung Smart TV, or connected Blu-ray player.

ASDA are knocking £50 off a 40-inch Luxor HDTV this weekend, putting it at just £249 and making it the cheapest full HD screen of it's size currently onsale, brand new, in the UK.

The set in question is a Luxor LUX-40-914-TVB. It may not have the bells and whistles of a top-end Samsung or LG 3DTV, but has a respectable set of specs that include a full 1080p HD display, a built-in Freeview tuner with EPG, and a pair of both scart and HDMI sockets.

"We're delighted to be offering our customers this product at such a fantastic price," said Asda's resident technology expert Michael Arnott.

"This high definition TV can turn any living room into a quality home cinema. With the lowest cost on the market, this TV offers unbeatable value to our customers."

The deal doesn't go live until tomorrow instores nor online, but you can get a sneak peek at the model getting the price cut by clicking here.

We went eyes-on with Panasonic's impressive new plasma screen range at CES 2012, and came away gobsmacked by the quality of the VT50 series.

Two different models will be headed to shops; the 55-inch P55VT50 and the 65-inch P65VT50.

Designed using a single sheet of glass and ultra thin bezel, the screens manage great black levels through the company's "infinite black ultra panel" design.

THX certified, the 3DTVs can also convert 2D images for added depth, as well as smoothing 24p 3D using Panasonic's new "3D 24p cinema smoother".

24,576 steps of gradation let colour reproduction shine naturally, gently weaving subtle colour shade changes into pictures, a notable addition considering the problems older plasma panels have with this issue.

Scroll up for our eyes-on preview video.

For more news from CES 2012, click here.

Grabbing plenty of headlines at CES 2012 is LG's astonishingly thin 55-inch EM960V OLED TV, a lush screen that some AV enthusiasts are daring to call the best TV ever.

Offering superb viewing angles and flicker/cross-talk free 3D viewing, the EM960V looks as pretty as a picture. It'll also come packing a new Magic Remote model, with gesture and voice controls, as well as built-in Wi-Fi for Smart TV features and a Freeview HD tuner.

Due out in the second half of the year, start saving the pennies now: you're going to need a lot of them to get one of these beauties in your house.

Scroll up for our eyes-on demonstration video.

For more news from CES 2012, click here.

A lot has been made of ultra-definition TVs and OLED TVs at this year's CES, but the technologies on show are respectively either a) too young to have the content to back them up in the case of UDTVs, or b) too expensive for the average consumer when it comes to OLEDs. The stalwart plasma screen will therefore be the sort of high-end set your looking for were you to be going down to your local AV emporium in the next few weeks, and Panasonic's newly revealed VT50 series are the screens you should be hunting down.

Two models will be hitting stores; the 55-inch P55VT50 and the 65-inch P65VT50.

Neatly designed using a single sheet of glass and thin bezel, the screens offer great black levels through the company's "infinite black ultra panel" design.

24,576 steps of gradation let colour reproduction shine naturally, gently weaving subtle colour shade changes into pictures, a notably addition considering the problems older plasma panels have with this issue.

THX certified, the 3DTVs can also convert 2D images for added depth, as well as smoothing 24p 3D using Panasonic's new "3D 24p cinema smoother".

Sonically, the screen should be a step above other flat panels thanks to 8-train speakers being built in. Combined with a 2mm thick subwoofer on the rear, the screens should deliver a far more well-rounded audio performance than similarly slim TVs would.

Lastly, a "touch pad controller" is specifically designed for navigating the screen's Smart TV web-connected features, and even includes shortcut buttons for Skype calling and Netflix streaming.

We'll pass on pricing and availability details as we're given them.

For more news from CES 2012, click here.

CES, the biggest tech show in the world. Where better then to more-or-less announce your new TV strategy is to make your range frickin' massive?

That's the crux of Sharp's CES 2012 press conference, where they announced a new 85-inch, 8K4K super-super high resolution screen.

Slightly smaller in scale, but ten times more likely to hit stores anytime soon is Sharp's new flagship screen, the LC-80LE844U. An 80-inch behemoth, it has a 240Hz refresh rate for fast-moving scenes, pretty much obliterating any judder from from the LED's 3D performance. Web-connected, the set gives owners access to plenty of apps including Netflix and YouTube.

Smaller still (but still huge by the average consumers standards) are the 20 models heading to Sharp's 20-inch line up. These Quattron sets will feature the company's proprietary Quad Pixel Plus II technology for improved colour accuracy.

No pricing or release dates available for the new sets yet, but it seems all-but-set that Sharp are now focussing on the premium end of the TV scale.

For more news from CES 2012, click here.

Samsung are looking to turn your regular HDTV into a web connected one with their newly-announced InTouch kit.

Combining a Wi-Fi enabled Skype camera and unique QWERTY keyboard, it adds apps, high-definition video calling and the ability to browse the web to any HDTV.

The camera has a tilt-range of -30 degrees - 0 degrees, making placement relatively pain-free for a clear view in even the most cluttered of home entertainment set-ups. An integrated USB port also lets you browse videos and images, letting you upload them to your favourite social networks.

"While internet connected HDTVs are now common, not every household gets to experience this fun and interactive feature, especially if they have an HDTV purchased just a few years ago," said Mike Palazzolo, vice president sales and marketing, consumer video monitoring and security products for Samsung Techwin America.

"With the inTouch camera system, Samsung is now bridging the gap between this experience and those consumers who own HDTVs without networking capability."

The Samsung inTouch will be available from March 2012 and will cost around $199.99.

For more news from CES 2012, click here.

LG are throwing their hat into the Google TV ring, announcing that they will be showcasing a 3D flatscreen TV at CES 2012 that will have the search giant's web-connected UI onboard.

Pairing with LG's own Smart TV platform and Cinema 3D technology, the passive screen will also come with a new "magic remote QWERTY", specially designed to ease navigation through the Google TV interface.

"LG has constantly strived to provide consumers with wider choices in home entertainment that bring the highest level of sophistication and convenience," said Havis Kwon, President and CEO of LG Electronics Home Entertainment Company.

"Through Google TV, LG has merged Google's established Android operating system with LG's proven 3D and Smart TV technologies, offering consumers a new and enthralling TV experience."

However, despite mimicking much of Google TV's own functions, LG will keep their own NetCast connected platform onboard the TVs too.

"Alongside Google TV, LG will continue to advance its own Smart TV platform based on NetCast, which will be available in more than 60 percent of LG's flat panel TVs scheduled for introduction over the coming year.

"With a growing collection of content and services, LG's Smart TV platform will continue to provide consumers with a unique user experience."

LG's Google TVs will hit the US first, sometime before the end of 2012, while UK consumers will have to wait until early 2013.

The long-awaited Apple TV seemed a dead-cert to make an appearance at some point in 2012, rumoured to be putting iOS and it's famous App Store front and centre in the living room. However, a new report from USA Today puts a substantial hurdle in the way of the project, as they claim the Cupertino tech firm are struggling to secure valuable TV rights.

Calling it a "major roadblock", US Today believe it puts the whole device in jeopardy, with consumers potentially seeing no reason to stump up the cash for TV apps were they not easily able to access the shows they wanted to.

Though Apple are still thought to be sourcing panels for the eventual displays, head designer Jonathan Ive is said to already have a working prototype in his office.

"Apple is said to be looking at a 42-inch or larger LCD TV with built-in Wi-Fi. Inside the locked-down studio of Jonathan Ive, senior vice president of industrial design at Apple, there's a slick 50-inch TV, according to the source who worked at Apple," reads the report.

So far we've only heard word of Apple TVs up to about the 37 inch size, meaning the company could be hoping to go really high-end with a 50 inch set.

Yesterday we brought you news that Apple, alongside Google, were looking to secure the rights for Premier League Football coverage for their Apple TV sets.

YouView, the venture that is looking to bring on-demand video and Freeview together, is to start a friends and family testing period starting in early 2012. The service is looking to be a catch up service that is based on your TV so you dont have to resort to watching it on a computer.

The service will be free from all TV contracts, with the set top box you will get all Freeview or Freesat channels with the inclusion of the last seven days catch up TV. Also a choice of on-demand and pay TV for films, sports and some US drama.

The service is backed by many of the UK's largest broadcasters including the BBC, ITV, Channel 4 and BT. TalkTalk, known for its broadband services, will be giving 3000 of its employees the YouView set top boxes, made with manufacturer Huawei, to "focus on the end to end customer experience."

Following this trail a full launch will follow with each and every one of the 8 million Freeview customers a target for the YouView service. The company stated, "The launch of YouView next year will be a major development for TalkTalk and we are on track to offer a value for money product of phone, broadband and TV in spring 2012."

TalkTalk will be looking to undermine the more expensive phone, TV and internet services of their main competitors Virgin and Sky, perhaps hoping to steal a few customers who feel they are being over charged. But they reamin true to giving Freeview customers something extra to their packages.

TalkTalk have invested heavily in the set top box with four million pounds already invested and a contract between YouView's partners to cover a hundred and fifteen million pound budget which will include covering development, launch and the first four years of operating.

It's a tongue-twister as well as a head-twister, but just like mobiles got too small, it seems TVs are getting too thin. It makes sense: once the screen is down to an inch, who cares if they shave off another few millimetres? At least not if we have to pay extra for it.

This seems to be the driving force between a new trend, reported by AU Optronics, the Taiwanese flat-pack maker that's the fourth-biggest in the world. According to the FT, AU vice president Paul Peng said on Tuesday he was noticing customers deliberately going for fatter TVs to sell more cheaply in emerging markets. AU's customers include Sony and Panasonic, to name some.

The sales of TVs is not holding up well in current climes, meaning manufacturers are starting to look elsewhere for growth, such as to emerging markets. Hence the "fat" screens - although it should be noted that this means a screen of just 4 centimetres, fat only in comparison to the current standard that is 1 centimetre.

"In order to make televisions that are thin and light, you have to follow very rigorous specifications [for all the parts]," said Peng. Freed of such design restrictions, "by next year you could see 'fat' flatscreen televisions sell for almost the same price as [old cathode] televisions."

A cathode ray TV is those old ones with a big box at the back, which you can't really buy in the UK anymore. This means anyone who wants a TV has no choice but to shell out on a flatscreen, something that seems odd, if you think about it. Consider all those mini-TVs in all those halls of residence back in the day, bought at Argos for less than £40. So we're thinking there's a gap in the market over here for some fat'n cheap TVs too.

It's official: internet access and mobile phones are more important to young Britons than television.

This is the conclusion from new research from Ofcom, the communications regulator, but at a closer look it's not such a straight shot as it first seems.

While kids care less about watching TV, it's the traditional set-up of scheduled programming watched on the living room set that's suffering. They are actually watching more TV than at any time in the past five years - it's just that it's mostly happening on catch-up services like the iPlayer.

So what this study is really indicating is that the convergence is happening: TV isn't really declining, it's just enjoyed on other devices not traditionally associated with watching programmes.

British teenagers now watch 17 hours and 37 minutes of TV per week, compared with 15 hours 37 minutes in 2007. Ofcom spoke with 1,717 people for this study, concluding that TV, which was rated as equally important as the internet in the same study a few years ago, is now cited as equally important. Kids are more attached to TV if they are very young, but the number of 12-15 year olds who said they would miss TV if it was gone had dropped from 28% to just 18%. 25% of respondents said they would miss the internet.

Teens still rate their mobiles above both TV and the web. Gaming seems to have stabilised at a high plateau: user numbers are stable at 81-92%, depending on age. Internet coverage is solid, with 95% of kids aged 12 to 15 have web access at home via a computer. There is however a socio-economic divide, where only 80% those from more deprived backgrounds have internet access.

US X Factor viewers to vote via Twitter
And in other convergence news: Viewers of X Factor in the US will now be able to vote for their favourite star via Twitter. Fans can send a direct message to the official X Factor Twitter account to cast their votes. "It's a sign of the times," says Simon Cowell. No word yet on the finances of this new arrangement though - or does it mean the karaoke empire is no longer about making money? Well I never.

Walter Isaacson's biography on the life of Apple co-founder Steve Jobs hits stores today, and with it comes some tantalising tid-bits on what the Apple main-man was working on shortly before his death.

While many assume that the iPhone 5 will prove to be Steve Jobs' swansong, it now appears that the king of Cupertino was setitng his sights on living room dominance with an Apple TV set.

Now of course, we've had the Apple TV product for many years, and for just as long heard rumours of an actual Apple-branded, iOS packing screen. But according to Isaacson, Jobs finally felt like he'd cracked the platform.

"He very much wanted to do for television sets what he had done for computers, music players, and phones: make them simple and elegant," Isaacson wrote.

'"I'd like to create an integrated television set that is completely easy to use," he told me. "It would be seamlessly synced with all of your devices and with iCloud." No longer would users have to fiddle with complex remotes for DVD players and cable channels. "It will have the simplest user interface you could imagine. I finally cracked it."'

The Apple TV boxes have only had middling success, but the simplicity of an all-in-one unit, like an iMac for the living room, has obviosu appeal. Apple have crept closer and closer to the living room for the past few years; could Jobs' final vision to be Apple storming it in 2012?

Steve Jobs, the biography by Walter Isaacson, is released today. You can read the entire first chapter of the book by clicking here.

It's a tough economic climate for all out there in the working world today, and the tightening of purse strings extends to multi-million dollar businesses too. Philips have just revealed some harsh financial figures, leading to inevitable job losses.

The third quarter of this year saw Philips' profits fall a massive 85%. Compared to the same period last year, Philips' profits are down from a healthy €524 million (£459 million) to just €76 million (£66.5 million).

As a result, some 4,500 jobs are expected to be cut in an effort to save £700 million.

The warning signs have been there for a little while when it comes to Philips fortunes. Philips announced back in April that part of its television arm would be sold off to TVP of Hong-Kong.

But now even that cost-cutting sale is floundering, with the Netherlands-based Philips' position as Europe's largest consumer tech force left hanging in the balance.

"For the eventuality that a final agreement cannot be reached, Philips will consider its alternative options," said Philips' CEO Frans van Houten.

via: The Guardian

Smell-o-Vision? Remember that? The idea that you could smell what you were watching on TV? Well the concept may be set for a comeback thanks to a small French company called Olf-Action.

They're getting ready to display at the Lisbon Design Show a nostril-bothering gadget called the SMELLIT, designed to replicate the smell of certain on-screen scenarios. Though little is known about SMELLIT beyond a few nifty design renders, the company have already had one roll of the pongy dice in cinemas, bringing "Odoravision" to a few screens to accompany a few films with retro-fitted smell tracks.

Does it work? We're not sure. Do we want it? We're even less sure of that. Still, if any eventual product looks half as good as the renders displayed below, it sure beats the old Noel's House Party smelly scratchcard trick that UK readers of a certain age are certain to remember anyway.

And, looking at the "scent list" Olf Action are touting, we'd be lying if we didn't say we aren't intrigued to find out what the "smell of the good mood" is.

Scroll down for a few shots of the SMELLIT:

The annual IFA tech show in Berlin has come to a close for yet another year, after bringing plenty brand new gadgets and gizmos to the table to start saving for. It's a massive show, packed with everything from AV gear to mobile phones and home appliances, but we've sifted the wheat from the chaff to give you our highlights from Europe largest electronics expo. Here's Tech Digest's IFA Best in Show for 2011.

BEST TV: Sharp 8K4K Super High-Def TV

The TV that Tech Digest shall set as the high-watermark all others must aim for for the forseeable future, Sharp's 8K4K prototype was by far the most stunning screen we've ever seen, and our favourite item overall at this year's show. Though it's not going to be commercially available for at least the best part of a decade, we were treated to a jaw-dropping presentation of footage 16-times the pixel density of full HD 1080p. We felt sorry for all the TVs we had to check out at the show after seeing this one so early on, as none of the others stood a chance in comparison.

BEST SMARTPHONE/TABLET: Samsung Galaxy Note

Not a great show for tablets or smartphones, with Sony's offerings a little underwhelming and few other manufacturers making a splash. Samsung's Galaxy Note, while not everyone's cup of tea, at least attempted something slightly different, with its massive screen and stylus input. Jobs may have delcared the stylus dead with Apple's touchscreen devices, but Samsung quite rightly still see a place for digital note taking with an input pen.

BEST PROJECTOR: Epson EH-T9000W

If you've got a few grand to spare, Epson proved that having your very own 3D cinema experience in your living room is a relatively affordable reality this year. Showing off their first line of 3D projectors, the stunning visuals were made all the sweeter thanks to the inclusion of Wi-Fi smarts in the EH-T9000W top-end model.

BEST LAPTOP: Acer Aspire S3 Ultrabook

Who said Windows machines couldn't be as good-looking as Apple devices? Acer's Aspire S3 Ultrabook paired great looks and portability with supercharged power in a laptop that offered both i7 and SSD high-end configurations.

MADDEST GADGET: Jean-Michel Jarre's AeroDream One 11ft iPad dock

Jean-Michel Jarre; a man known equally for his pioneering electronic music and dazzling live light shows. He'll now also be known as the man behind the world's most ridiculous iPad dock, the 11ft tall AeroDream One. Tech Digest had the pleasure of talking to the French musical legend at IFA 2011 in the video above, where Jarre explains the inspiration behind his designs.

For more coverage from IFA 2011, click here.

LG's screens at IFA 2011 were a little bit more quirky than the competition. Take the LG PZ850T PenTouch Plasma TV for instnace. As the name suggests, it comes bundled with a special touchscreen stylus that lets you sketch images and notes and navigate apps by directly tapping the screen with the pen.

Avaialble in 50 and 60 inch sizes (the larger of which is 3D-capable), LG showed the screen off hooked up to a laptop, allowing them even greater functionality and piggy-backing web browsing from the machine.

Now we can see the application here in maybe an office or classroom environtment, but we're not so sure about in the home. I'm not sure I'd like to encourage my kids to write on a TV with a specific pen, only to find they've got it mixed up and scribbled all over my expensive new Plasma screen with a Sharpie.

Available from the end of September, hit the video above for our first look at the screen.

LG were showing off their latest flagship passive 3DTV at IFA over the weekend, the LG LW980T. A Nano Full LED passive 3D display, it's got a few unexpected tricks up its sleeve.

The super slim 26.4mm-thick TV has plenty of connected content, including a 3D VOD app, BBC iPlayer, Facebook and Blinkbox, and comes with 7 pairs of passive specs.

However, the most interesting feature is Dual Play:

Much like the PS3 monitor revealed earlier in the year, it allows two gamers to share the same screen and still have a full screen experience in 2-player multiplayer modes. By using a two dedicated pairs of glasses (one with two right lenses, one with two left) the screen is able to shut off alternate frames in compatible games to give each player a massive display, and stop cheating in the likes of split-screen Call of Duty.

Set for a September release you're looking at £1799 for the 47in model and £2499 for the 55 incher.

Samsung once again showed off their monster D9500 LED 3DTV at IFA 2011, touting an incredible 75-inch screen with active 3D technology.

The world's largest consumer LED TV according to Samsung, it completely dwarfed nearby 55-inch models, which themselves are big enough to flatten a person should they take a tumble. Screens this size can get a little blurry when it comes to fast moving scenes, but Samsung have popped in 240Hz refresh rate tech to keep things silky smooth.

Fully loaded with Smart TV funcitonality including a 3D VOD app and all manner of social networking capabilities, the D9500 also has Skype support built in, making the "Video Call Wall" of Back To The Future 2 very much a reality now.

Big screens inevitably come with big price tags, and the D9500 is no exception. You're looking at around $17,600 in the USA, or almost £11,000 when converted to UK pricing.

Hit the video above to see the impressive display in action.

Sharp's stand at IFA 2011 was a fairly quiet affair, but also arguably held the show's most impressive bit of kit. In a world first, Sharp have revealed a prototype 8K4K screen.

It's the most detailed display we've ever seen. To put it in perspective, a Full HD TV running at 1080p uses 2,073,600 pixels. Sharps monster uses an astounding 32,000,000 pixels.

It basically means that whether you're you're ten feet away or ten inches from the screen, you're still viewing an image with unparalleled clarity.

If you're interested in grabbing one, you'll have plenty of time to start saving; Japanese broadcasters NHK (the first to experiment with shooting 8K4K footage) aren't expecting to make this sort of super high-def broadcast mainstream until the year 2025. Still, after seeing this screen, every other TV looks very average indeed.

Hit the video above to take a look.