Panasonic Exhibition at CES - Source: Gizmodo

As I mentioned in a November 3rd news brief, the California Energy Commission planned to vote on a potential ban of power-hungry TVs. The vote was scheduled for November 4th, but after receiving a lot of new information (mostly provided by their vocal opposition), the energy commission postponed the vote until today, November 18th.

And their decision?

The ban was passed with a unanimous vote. The regulations begin in 2011 and will become tougher in 2013. Click here for more details.

- In the wake of the California Energy Commission’s ruling (or lack thereof–it was postponed–I’ll keep you updated) regarding limiting the energy consumption of TVs, Sony is promoting its “eco-friendly” televisions. Supposedly, the brand’s KDL-VE5 series of TVs has a built-in “presence sensor” that detects when the viewer leaves the room and automatically turns off. Our friends over at CNET reviewed the Sony KDL-VE5 and found that the new technology works fairly well (if customized).

- Lincoln Spector (what a name!) at PC World recently assessed Sony’s Bravia 40W5100 HDTV. The cool feature of this new model is its internet capabilities. Spector writes:

The ethernet-equipped 40W5100 has the most comprehensive selection of Internet entertainment options I’ve yet seen in a television. Offerings include Amazon Video On Demand, Blip.TV, Bravia Internet Widgets (which are based on Yahoo Widgets and include weather, news, finance, and Twitter widgets), CBS (mostly just clips with a few full episodes), Sports Illustrated, YouTube, how-to videos, and far more options than I can list. Netflix on-demand movie streaming is promised for sometime in the fall.

While these features predict the eventual, complete integration of TV and the web (on the TV platform), Spector (Lincoln, not Phil) highlights that some of the features, especially YouTube, still need improvement.

- Finally, rumors are circulating that Sony is releasing new, larger OLED TVs sometime in 2010/2011. According to a leaked document outlining prototypes, Sony is updating it’s “flagship XBR series with the XBR11 LED W-backlit LCD and XBR12 Advanced LED RGB-backlit LCD sets coming in sizes from 32- to 60-inches featuring 240Hz Motionflow, a new Bravia Engine 3 PRO with HD Video processor, and UV2A panel technology” (via Engadget). Here’s the document:

Leaked Sony Document - Source: Engadget

P.S. – Dear Sony, I didn’t steal the document. Best Regards, Ryan

Name: Justin Frederick

Justin, Reegan, and a creepy frog at the Rainforest Cafe

Position at ShopJimmy: Sales Rep

One sentence job description: I try to help ShopJimmy.com grow in all ways possible.

Favorite LCD breakage story: A lady once told me that she cracked the screen of her LCD after she threw her cell phone at her daughter and missed!!

TV model in your living room: Magnavox 32PFL5332D

Family: Wife Heidi, Daughter Reegan (16 mos.), Dogs Hoops (beagle) and Ellie (yorkie-poo)

Hobbies: Golfing, watching all sports, gambling, hanging with my two beautiful ladies!

Favorite restaurant: Buffalo Wild Wings

Go-to Pandora station: “Coldplay Radio” or “311 Radio”

Beverage of choice: Vodka Tonic

In-flight reading material: Sports page

Sports team(s) you root for: Minnesota Twins, Vikings, Timberwolves, Wild, Gophers

Three things you’d bring to a deserted island: Computer, grocery store, balloon boy’s dad Richard Heene

On a web dating service, you’d describe yourself as: Very married

You can find me on…

- Twitter: not yet

- Facebook: yes

- MySpace: never

- LinkedIn: yes

- YOU control the images, words, and contact information on your site.

- Choose any of our unique, fresh templates (all built by Suite 38). Feel free to change their color, too. Better yet, contact us and we’ll build a template specifically designed for your business.

- We’ll give you tips to help you market your site to attract visitors and expand your business’ reach.

- Our (Suite 38) customer service mission is simple: Website Cruiser is a product, but it’s also our long-term commitment to increasing the success of our clients’ business. And successful partnerships take open, honest communication.

- Until we launch the “official” version of Website Cruiser (in early 2010), use any and all of its features for FREE! Yes, free.

Don’t miss this opportunity to increase the success of your business! Join Website Cruiser today!

In the ‘Personal Tech’ section of The New York Times, Eric Taub wrote a great article explaining the differences between LED, LCD, and plasma technology. For more information, Gizmodo’s Matt Buchanan also analyzed LED technology.

Michael Miller, from PCMag.com, recently attended a Samsung press event where the electronics company unveiled their new LED TV (technically, it’s an LCD with “LED edge-lighting”), as well as, disassembled one to show the TV’s components. I’ve posted the pictures below (click on images for larger view):

LED Bezel - Source: PCMag.com

LED "Backlight" - Source: PCMag.com

LED Panel - Source: PCMag.com

LED Electronics - Source: PCMag.com

LED TV Wall Mount - Source: PCMag.com

Lastly, Phil Hinton (with an accent that’s a combination of William Wallace and the Geico Gecko) at AVForums.tv reviewed Samsung’s LED (LCD) TV.

After reviewing the articles, pictures, and video, what’s your verdict?

Give them grief!
Jimmy

- Research firm InStat is predicting that a new version of HDTVs will hit the retail market in the next five to 10 years. Dubbed “Ultra” HD, the new technology will improve picture resolution anywhere from four to 16 times the resolution of current HDTVs. The new technology is in the experimental stages in Japan and also some movie theaters (locations not specified). (via TVPredictions.com)

- On a similar note, Samsung just released pictures of it’s 3mm thick, LED backlit, LCD HDTV. While the specs on the TV are still somewhat unknown, the model shown in Samsung’s pictures is 40-inches, 120Hz, and 5000:1 contrast ratio. (via Gizmodo)

- David Katzmaier, Senior Editor at CNET, recently reviewed all of the HDTVs on the market. Here are his top five, based on their design, features, and perfomance:

1. Samsung UNB8500 series
2. Panasonic TC-PV10 series
3. Samsung PNB850/860 series
4. Samsung UNB8000 series
5. LG LH90 series

Do you agree or disagree with David’s review?

Happy Halloween!

One way to combat dwindling profit, however, is analyzing your credit card processing. “Swipe fees”–the percentage a credit card company charges per sale–can cripple a small business’ revenue (see diagram).

Credit Card Interchange - Source:GAO

And the problem? These fees are steadily rising. According to David Robertson, publisher of payment-industry web newsletter The Nilson Report, merchants paid over $62 billion in “swipe fees” in 2008, up from $16 billion in 2001.

At ShopJimmy, we spent a good chunk of this past summer researching our credit card processing system and requesting quotes from a variety of companies. Our findings? It’s important to regularly check your fees, request quotes, and negotiate with your processor to find savings. “There is a lot of competition in the business, and competition offers the opportunity for merchants to really shop around and see what is the best deal or the best service they can get,” says Jamie Savant, a partner at the Strawhecker Group, a payments-industry consultant.

During our research, we found BCS Worldwide. It’s a local (St. Paul, MN), family-owned company with a great reputation for low fees, quality customer service, and a good “corporate social responsibility” track record. Click here to learn more about BCS Worldwide and apply for a quote!