VIZIO sure ends up in a whole lot of legal battles, but one way or another, it always seems to find its way out in the long run. Such is the case once again today, as the current LCD TV king has apparently said all the right things to Sony. If you'll recall, Sony (along with a slew of others) filed suit against Vizio awhile back over patent licensing concerns, but now it seems the two have reached a mutual agreement to use each other's technologies without bickering over who owns what. The release on the matter states that Sony "has become a licensee under VIZIO's patent portfolio," and that "VIZIO now is a licensee under Sony's color television patent portfolio." Who knows how much under-the-table cash and shaky promises had to be passed along in order to make everyone happy, but hey, a problem solved is a problem solved.

[Image courtesy of TooMuchNick / WireImage]

Update: Sony's response to all of this is after the break, courtesy of a company spokesperson who pinged us directly.

Feeling that 3D craze yet? No? Well what if we told you that Samsung was bringing stereoscopic 3D to its magnificent AMOLED panels touting a million-to-1 contrast? Today in Japan it's showing off its 30-inch AMOLED 3D television with Full HD panel measuring just 2.5-mm thick. Although much is lost in the Korean language press release, Sammy is claiming that itd panel plus shutter-glasses technology helps to reduce the dizziness felt by some 3D viewers. The set's just a prototype at the moment but its price will certainly invoke financial vertigo whenever it might hit the manufacturing lines. One more very serious picture after the break.

Sharp's LC-52LE700UN is the 52-inch member of the company's first-ever LED-backlit AQUOS range, and we were fortunate enough to give it a spin here recently. The LE700 series began shipping out to consumers this summer, packed with web connectivity (AQUOS Net), a trio of HDMI ports, a 1080p X-Gen panel and a dejudder feature for smoothing out jaggies. The set packed a starting tag of $2,799.99, though in the few short months that it has been on the market, the street rate has fallen to just south of $1,600. Without a doubt, the fall in price helps the screen's cause in terms of value, but is there enough to warrant a purchase? Head on past the break for a few of our thoughts.

When a CEO is asked to dream we shouldn't be surprised when he dreams big. In an Reuters interview with Netflix CEO, Reed Hastings, we learn that Netflix is working in parallel to bring its services to "all the game consoles, all the Blu-ray players, all the Internet TVs." Naturally, he added that the Xbox deal is exclusive for the time being. The company is currently focused on the big screen but "will get to mobile eventually, including the iPhone." And while the streaming business is "booming," he says the DVD business is still growing as well, likely peaking in "5 years or so" with people still doing DVD-by-mail over the next 20 years. Reed then adjusted his monocle and disappeared in a flash of cigar and brick-and-mortar ash.

[Via All Things Digital]

Think you're good at turning down the upsell? Try saying no to adding WiMAX to your home internet service for the low, low price of whatever Comcast wants to charge. Thanks to a multi-billion dollar tie-up with Clearwire, Comcast has been offering WiMAX-based internet services in a few markets, but now that On Demand Online is a go, it makes sense to think that the operator would use that as leverage to get people hooked. For those unaware, ODO enables Comcast pay-TV subscribers to watch a vast array of programming from any internet connection, which of course means that any ole 3G / 4G data connection would work just as well as Comcast's own. Oh, and while mobile TV is pretty good -- and we're going to let Comcast finish -- watching HDTV at home with a DVR is definitely the best scenario of all time.

Update: Just to be clear, this service won't deliver TV straight to phones.

What can we say -- it's a near final build of LG's 15-inch OLED TV that's set to go production in Korea before the baby New Year can suckle at the big one-oh. We could say it's beautiful, that even motion looked good pushing genuine blacks on this razor thin panel. But we wouldn't want to rub your noses in the fact that we're at IFA and you're not. Perhaps this will make you feel better: by the time it makes it Stateside in February or March it'll be carrying a price tag right around $2,500. Really, but it's Wireless TV-capable and that's gotta be worth something.

Oh, and LG tells us that its 32- and 42-inch OLED panels are on schedule and due to be released sometime in 2010. Yes, 2010 contradicting what we've heard earlier. No word on price but it's going to be tres, tres expensive.

For anyone who can live by the credo that money is no obstacle is the way of getting the very best in your life, Panasonic's unveiled the 85-inch TH-85PF12U plasma HDTV. It outputs 1080p -- but we'd be honestly surprised if it didn't at this point -- and weighs in at 260 pounds, with its main body about 3.9 inches in depth. Price? Well, if you have to ask... it's $30,000 -- honestly not that surprising when you consider the years-old 103-inch model is still teetering around $45,000, give or take five grand.

It's been over a month since Comcast and Time Warner announced their TV Everywhere internet video service, and while we've seen some impressive content deals get made since then, there hasn't been much word on how the service will work, or even when it'll launch. That's starting to slowly change today, as Time Warner's announced that 5,000 lucky customers in "select markets" will be involved in a trial that's starting "over the next few months." No word yet on how much this'll cost or what extra shows or movies you might be able to get, but at least it's something -- and if Time Warner or Comcast need any extra help testing this out, we know a few people who'll be more than willing to help.

For millions of homes, a slight variation on the basic black TV theme fits into the decor just fine. People who suffer an allergic reaction to black gadgets can opt for silver, Samsung's Touch of Color, or stainless steel. If those options don't quiet your fashion faux pas alarms, Loewe has something for you. Rather than innovate on the actual display, the Individual Selection LCD TVs let you mix and match a glossy white or aluminum fascia with swappable inlay side panels in Ruby Red, Apple Green, High Gloss Black, or even console-fabulous Light Oak. We could go into the specs (pretty "meh") or the price (probably "gulp"), but those are beside the point; if you've read this far, you'll want one regardless of specs or price. Might we recommend looking into a truly custom colored set instead?

Oh sure, outfits have claimed to ship kitchen-friendly TV sets before, but Toshiba just made 'em all look silly with the introduction of the 19LV612U. Less formally known as the first member of the Stainless Style TV series, this 18.5-inch set packs a built-in slot-loading DVD player, integrated ATSC / NTSC / QAM TV tuner and a 1,366 x 768 native resolution. Oh, and then there's the seductive stainless steel coating, which makes it fit in impeccably well with your modern day dishwasher, refrigerator and microwave oven. Other specs include 300 nits of brightness, a 1,000:1 contrast ratio, five millisecond response time, HDMI / VGA inputs, a headphone jack and VESA mount support. It's expected to ruin meals regularly starting this September for $349.99

We've been following LG's 240Hz LH90 series of LED-backlit HDTVs since they were launched alongside oodles of internet-connected rivals at CES, and now -- at long last -- the 1080p trio is shipping to US soil. The sets, which are the first-ever to boast THX certification, also feature an ambient light sensor, 2,000,000:1 dynamic contrast ratio, 240Hz dejudder technology and a super glossy bezel. If you're jonesing to get one in your abode, you can cruise over to your nearest electronics dealer and part ways with $3,199.95 (55-inch), $2,399.95 (47-inch), or $1,899.95 (42-inch).

Although it won't beat OnLive out the gate -- assuming that company sticks to its winter 2009 target date -- Israeli cable TV provider Hot has unveiled its plans to provide streaming games on demand, with all the processing power done server-side so you can keep that weak cable box as is, thanks to technology from local company PlayCast. A trial program is in the cards for 1,000 customers, with access for everyone coming in early 2010. If this screen shot's any indication, it's not exactly looking to stream Crysis -- if anything, we're expecting something more comparable to what we saw on our last visit to Holiday Inn, which is still infinitely better than the nonexistent streaming gaming options our cable TV companies are currently offering stateside.

It's not that ASUS hasn't dipped its toes in HDTV waters before (by the way, whatever happened to that altogether enticing Eee TV?), but we dare say that the TV Monitor T1 is a fresh, if not unsurprising new direction for the company. Arriving in 22- (22T1E), 24- (24T1E) and 27-inch (27T1E) sizes, this trio of sets features a Full HD (1,920 x 1,080) panel, a 20,000:1 contrast ratio, 300 nits of brightness, five millisecond response time, built-in TV tuners (for the UK market) and a pair of seven-watt speakers. As for sockets, you'll find VGA, HDMI (x2), component, composite, S-Video and even a 3.5 millimeter headphone jack. Per usual, ASUS is refusing to dole out pricing and release date information, but hopefully it won't be long before Britons can indulge (and North Americans are notified of an NTSC-capable version).