Philips may be dodging the North American sector with its flashiest of products, but it's still showing the Yanks in attendance a little love on the home entertainment front. Today in a meeting in NYC, the outfit revealed US pricing and availability for its entire 2009 family, most of which was quietly introduced in January. Starting things off are the 6000 and 7000 Series of HDTVs, which just so happen to pick right up where the previous models left off in 2008. The 6000 Series will arrive in 32-, 42- and 47-inch flavors for $799, $1,399 and $1,699, respectively, while the 7000 Series goes 42-, 47- and 52-inch for $1,499, $1,799 and $2,299, also respectively.

While checking these very sets out, we noticed that the factory settings left the colors a bit blown out and overly sharp -- though, this practice is far too common in HDTV companies anyway. Nothing like wowing those Best Buy shoppers at first, only to sear their retinas at home, right? All kidding aside, the panels looked superb, and the A-B comparison mode made tweaking the settings a breeze. Hop on past the break for the rest of the details, and give our gallery a glance for a closer look at the whole lot.

Pioneer already blew out its good stuff this morning, but it saved this gem for a little afternoon delight. The DV-420V 1080p upconverting DVD player not only makes your existing DVD collection look its best, but it's the first deck to feature "an exclusive MP3 encoding capability for supreme music portability." Oddly enough, those are pretty much the only details we're given on the subject, but the front-panel USB port enables playback of DivX files and JPEG shots if you find that of interest. We're thinking not, so you can feel free to save your $90 when it ships this summer.

While Samsung's design may be changing in the Blu-ray player department, its latest DVD player pays homage to last year's DVD-F1080. The all new, very pebble-like DVD-H1080 touts the company's Touch of Color design, weighs just over two pounds and is only marginally bigger than the DVDs it will one day play. As expected, the deck features 1080p upscaling to go along with the USB host function which adds support for DivX, MP3 and JPEG files. There's nary a word on price, but it should be landing at your favorite (and least favorite, for the record) retailer in the first half of 2009.

We can't definitively say that Toshiba is done after this (never underestimate the depth of CES, friends), but we're bundling up the rest of the middling minutiae from its blowout at CES. If the fresh REGZA HDTV line is just too big, awesome and expensive for your tastes, the company is busting out a smattering of LCD TV combo sets ranging from $299.99 to $549.99. Furthermore, it's introducing a trio of portable DVD players, three DVD players and four DVD recorders. Unlike most of the gear showcased today, Tosh actually bothered to provide prices and ship dates for these, so head on past the break to get those tidbits.

LG's DVS450H may be "just" a DVD player, but it's a fanciful one. Register Hardware was recently able to acquire one of the units, which handles upscaling and DivX playback without a hitch, and they were mighty impressed with both the form and function. To be honest, though, our interest in this player hovers around the design -- why can't Blu-ray players be fashioned after this? Are manufacturers waiting for market proliferation before thinking outside of the proverbial box in terms of design? Practically every Blu-ray deck that has ever been introduced looks completely typical, with no one willing to take a chance and offer up a stylish, if not unorthodox, alternative. We know, there are inherent risks in pulling such a trick, but won't someone gather up the courage and try? People love to buy shiny new toys, you know.

[Via Slashgear]

We're not too sure why you'd pass on the opportunity to pick up one of Yamaha's phenomenal soundbars, but those who just have to have their speakers and upscaling DVD player match should find oodles to appreciate in the DVX-700. The 2.1-channel HTIB system includes a DVD player that upconverts to 1080p via HDMI along with 210-watts of power spread evenly over the subwoofer and two satellites. Each of the front two speakers include a 2.125-inch driver and 1-inch tweeter, while the subbie houses a 6.5-inch bass blaster. The system's claim to fame is its supposed ability to "deliver fully convincing surround sound performance without requiring multiple speakers to be installed throughout the room." Given just how well it has accomplished that in the past with its soundbars, we don't doubt that this bold claim is accurate; it's just that we're a tad hesitant to cough up $1,199.95 (MSRP) in order to find out.

We've always heard that treating your guests well pays off in the end, but giving them their own Blu-ray player? Hmm...

"I've got a PlayStation 3 in the living room, but I'm on the fence with what kind of player to get for our guest room. Should I spring for a second Blu-ray player of some kind, or should I just get an upscaling DVD deck? With prices of the entry-level BD machines just barely more than a decent upconverting DVD player, I'm leaning Blu. But, if I opt for another BD deck, which low-end one is the best choice?"

We wouldn't hesitate to offer our recommendations of investing in a second BD deck -- after all, you never know when you'll need one for travel or loan -- but there's a whole heap to choose from in the entry-level sector. Any advice for our pal Gregory?

Got a burning question that you'd love to toss out for Engadget HD (or its readers) to take a look at? Tired of Google's blank stares when you ask for real-world experiences? Hit us up at ask at engadgethd dawt com and keep an eye on this space -- your inquiry could be next.

Toshiba's XD-E500 has already taken the US and UK (among other locales) by storm, but outside of Japan, no one in Asia has yet been able to bask in the glory of this unit's peerless upscaling technology. Until now, that is. Said deck has just made its way down to Singapore, and it's reportedly selling for S$199 (or about $133 in American greenbacks). Some may say that's a fair price to ask for something that makes vanilla DVDs look better than the director ever intended, but we're sort of dismayed that no free movie rentals are thrown in here. Spoiled, we know.

For as ludicrous as we think the prices are on Kaleidescape's latest upscaling DVD players, the company is clearly doing something right. A recent release from the California-based outfit asserts that it achieved a three-year sales growth of 747% from 2004 to 2007 and ranks 415th on the 2008 Inc. 500 list of America's fastest-growing private companies. And we're not surprised. The company's kiosk was buzzing with prospective buyers at this year's CEDIA, and while only the affluent can afford to even sniff the wares this company is slinging, there's no denying the quality. Kudos, Kaleidescape -- but get some Blu-ray kit in the works, pronto!

Kaleidescape's booth was jammed packed with prospective buyers this year, evidently unaffected by a flagging economy and absurd prices flung from the mouths of on-hand representatives. All angst aside, we did stop by the outfit's CEDIA booth to see just what was crackin' and to snap a few photographs all the while. We'll admit, the 1080p Player / 1080p Mini Player are both beautiful pieces of equipment, and they certainly worked well when demonstrated. We'll refrain from commenting (again) on the value proposition here, but instead, we'll direct you to the gallery below with a forced grin.

It may be gettin' better, but it ain't getting any prettier. As the proper successor to Sony's DVDirect VRD-MC5, the all-black VRD-MC10 only looks marginally better than the original, but still has way too much 80s flair for our tastes. Sporting a 2.7-inch LCD, HDMI / component / composite outputs, a multicard reader, audio / video inputs, USB connectivity and support for just about every writable DVD still on the market, this unit was designed to burn your precious Handycam footage straight to DVD without any fuss (or formal editing procedures). Additionally, it could serve as your primary DVD player in a pinch, though the lack of BD functionality makes this a lot less attractive overall. We'll see if Sony keeps its "coming soon" promise; it's listed at a shockingly high ¥44,800 ($410).

[Via SonyInsider]

Update: Sony pinged us to say that this model will not be replacing the MC5, and it will only play back DVDs that it creates.

We'd already been formally introduced to Sony's HT-IS100 HTIB, but it -- along with the DVD-based 5.1-channel DAV-IS50 and the HDD-infused HTD-890IS -- have just been made official over in Europe. The low(er)-end DAV-IS50 arrives with 450-watts of amplification, a slot-loading DVD / CD / MP3 Disc player with 1080p upscaling, built-in AM / FM radio, wireless rear speakers and Sony's own BRAVIA Sync. The HTD-890IS spices things up with a 160GB hard drive, digital / analog TV tuners, a Digital Media Port, support for wireless rear speakers, two USB sockets and one-touch dubbing from camcorders or the HDD to blank DVD media. Mum's the word on pricing, but don't plan on any of the sets being a runaway bargain.

Oh yeah, Onkyo's definitely going to dish out a Blu-ray player of its own later this year, but it can't just sit idly until that one has spent adequate time in the oven, now can it? Say hello to the DV-SP406, a 1080p upscaling DVD player that delivers upconverted content over HDMI. You won't find SACD / DVD-Audio compatibility here, but you will find coaxial / optical digital audio ports, a USB socket for loading up multimedia files and a 180MHz / 14-bit video DAC. Not too much else to gloat about beyond that, but considering the $125 street price (available now in black or silver), we suppose that's just alright.

[Via RandomlyAccessed, thanks littlefarny]

Okay, so we really have no clue what's going on inside of Toshiba's labs, but one thing is for certain: it has upscaling on the brain. After hearing of an elusive super-resolution DVD player and seeing an all-too-curious new DVD logo, in flies word from Germany that the outfit is prepping an updated line of Picture Frame LCD HDTVs for release at IFA 2008. On the surface, there's not too much different about these REGZAs compared to any others, but internally, the newcomers are expected to tout Cell-based Resolution+ technology, which will upscale SD images in an attempt to make something (read: HD) out of nothing. Granted, Tosh has been talking up this stuff since CES, so it's not an entirely new concept, but we'll be interested to see if this has anything to do with those rumored DVD deck plans.

[Via Big-Screen, danke Joel]