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Vizio, a brand you may have once brushed off heading directly for the Samsung and Sony units when looking for hdtv’s may now have your undivided attention. Overpriced technology is for the birds.

Vizio’s new XVT Series of LCD’s and Plasmas are setting the bar for value at a new high. The lineup includes: 42 and 47 inch LCD televisions with 1080p resolution and 6,500:1 contrast ratios and their big brother, a 50 inch plasma with 1080p resolution, REON HQV processor, integrated digital tv runer, 30,000:1 dynamic contrast ratio and SRS TruSurround audio. One key feature shared by the XVT series is the 120Hz refresh rate with Smooth Motion Video.

Cost: SV420SVT (42-inch LCD) $1500 | SV47XVT (47-inch LCD) $1900 | VP505XVT (50-inch Plasma) $1700 @ Circuit City

This is Sanyo’s update to the Xacti pistol grip handheld camcorder line. A 1080i HD 30 frame per second camcorder with improved image stabilization, face-recognition (called ‘Face Chaser’) 4 megapixel stills at 7 frames per second, and a very Michael Bay movie-esque flattering 300fps slow-motion mode.

The Sanyo Xacti HD1010 weighs in at 9.9 ounces with battery and memory card and can record up to 87 minutes on an 8 gig card. In terms of glass you’re looking through a 10x optical HD zoom lens (38-380 mm) with an f/1.8-2.5 aperture. Display wise Sanyo’s equipped the Xacti with a 2.7 inch widscreen LCD display and HDMI output. Extras include wind roar and red-eye reduction, a web cam function, 16-bit 48kHz audio, built-in flash and optional telehpoto, wide-angle and fisheye lenses. [via Engadget]

What this means ot you: At $800 you’re going to be hard pressed to find this much technology packed into any camcorder of this stature. Not to mention pistol-grip camcorders are far easier (um, cooler) for casual videography.

Cost: $800 | July 2008

Also See: Sanyo Xacti Waterproof Camcorder

This is an embarrassingly large television. Spanning 65 inches, the Sharp AQUOS Special Edition will light up your home viewing experience with blistering 27,000:1 dynamic contrast ration, 4 ms response time, 1080p resolution, 120Hz frame rate conversion, 15w speakers, built-in HDTV tuner, and an input for every device under the sun including an ethernet port for live customer support and internet content. At a svelte 4 inches deep with special ‘cornerstone’ bezel and unique black textured cabinet, the Sharp AQUOS will commanding your utmost attention and everyone who visits comes to gaze their eyes upon it.

Cost: $9,999 $7,999 (on sale) @ Best Buy | $6,799 @ Amazon

Just when you thought you couldn’t get enough sports data crammed into your life, with 10 ESPN channels in 11 different languages, ESPN finds a way. That’s right guys, the ESPN universal remote is the real deal and not a hoax. Like any other universal remote this one unifies all your remotes into one and is claimed to have an easy setup and be simple to use.

So what makes this remote the “Ultimate Remote”? With this bad boy you’ll no longer have to sit down and watch a game with your laptop, blackberry, and 20 remotes. Why? You may ask, because this thing does it all. With its LCD display and WiFi access, this is the iphone, of the remote world.

It’s Click365 wireless network you’ll have access to instant updates to TV listings, sports, weather, news, and real-time access to sports news, scores, game updates, box scores, standings, ESPN.com, fantasy leagues, stats, schedules. Now if this doesn’t keep you on top of your sports trivia game, I don’t know what will.

Don’t get me wrong all around coverage of everything sports is pretty cool, but this remote also has some other cool features that aren’t sports related and are more in tune to the entertainment side. You can get personalized multi-day program guides for broadcast, cable, or satellite television and browse TV listings right on the remote without needing to change the channel or even turn the TV on.

What this means to you: With a Hi-tech remote like this, you can guarantee you’ll be the only one who can use it, thus the TV will always be your domain.

Cost: $299 @ Amazon

Somewhere, the Postal Service revenue department is crying a little.

The new Netflix Player by Roku negates the single biggest flaw of Netflix, snail mail. With access to Netflix’s library of 10,000 movies and television episodes you’ll be able to instantly watch movies from your queue. Netflix’s standard library of 100,000 DVD’s remains part of your subscription, but not instant. We’re sure that will change in time. Descriptions and ratings are all right there too.

The best part is Netflix didn’t skimp on the compatibility. An HDMI (480p output), optical audio-out, ethernet, wi-fi, RCA jacks, S-Video and component video ports and intuitive remote control are all part of the relatively low-priced box. Buy the box once, keep a monthly subscription and watch as much as you want.

What this means to you: I had no idea how much I wanted this until now. I love technology.

Cost: $100 @ Roku

It’s been rumored for some time, but HBO shows are finally available on iTunes… today. Yes, that means The Sopranos (it’s over guys… deal with it), Flight of the Conchords, Rome, The Wire, Deadwood, and Sex and the City which girlfriends and wives are sure to be pleased with. We imagine you’re wishing you purchased a larger iPod.

What this means to you: It’s remarkable how much longer you can hit the treadmill or shorter your commute is when you’re watching Al Swearengen take over a scene on Deadwood.

Cost: $3 per episode @ iTunes

Say hello to my massive friend. The newly announced 60 inch Pioneer Elite Kuro Plasma and it’s smaller siblings, rolling into our hearts and living rooms this June. The second-generation Kuro plasmas will have 5x deeper black levels than the previous dark-as-hell Kuro plasma units. The 50 and 60 inch standard Kuro PDP-5020FD and PDP-6020FD will be $4,000 and $5,500 respectively and their Pioneer Elite equivalents (PRO-111FD and PRO-151FD) as shown here will weigh in at a hefty $5,000 and $6,500. Seriously though… look at it. It’s blackness beckons you.

Not only do the new Kuro plasmas have eye gouging blacks, but measure a supermodel 2.5 inches in thickness. Additional enhancements include a new remote control, high definition user interface, home media gallery, and sex-on-a-wall case design. [via Gizmodo]

What this means to you: Suddenly, your television looks… well, a little sad.

Cost: $4,000-$6,500 @ Pioneer (Available June)

We doubt many guys make power comsumption their first thought when buying a new flatscreen tv, but if there are those of you who crossover between environmentalist and electronic enthusiast then the Philips Eco TV is for your.

Beyond having 4 HDMI inputs, 25 watt speakers, full 1920×1080p resolution the Eco TV is completely RoHS compliant meaning it’s absent of any lead, mercury, cadmium metals that are harmful to the environment. The Eco TV also dims and brightens automatically based on ambient light and uses only 0.15w of power on standby. Philips of course went one step further and boxed the television in recycled packaging.

What this means to you: It’s comparabaly priced to sets in this size so why not upgrade your tv with some green gear?

Cost: $1399 @ Amazon

Also See: Not so eco-friendly, but oh so equipped LumenLab Qmax | $10,000

Sony is late to the game with their digital picture frames, but they’ve brought out plenty of stops with their new lineup including red-eye correction using face recognition, exposure adjustment, scaling and display of (up to) 48 megapixels, Bluetooth adaptor compatibility for wireless transferring of images from your computer or phone and an HDMI output. Memory capacity ranges from 256mb to 512mb depending on the model.

The 15:9 aspect ratio screens on these frames can scale and display images up to 48 megapixels in size and has 10 different slide show variations, calendar views and two index displays.

The signature all-business look from Sony will make this frame perfect for your home or office and it’s ability to handle transferring of all image types directly through the memory card reader or USB port without a computer makes it a quality no-strings attached gift.

What this means to you: A perfect addition for your digital lifestyle. Just avoid loading all the memory with images of yourself unless you’re one of the Gear Girls.

Cost: $140-$250 @ Sony Style [Available March]

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Got 10 grand burning a hole in your bank account? Looking for a centerpiece to your entertainment computing system? Well, break out the cards because the Qx is some serious computing - wait for it - integration.

Integration what? Well, let’s go down the specs and maybe you’ll see. This computer is a 42″ 1080p LCD monitor built in with 3.0 GHzIntel Core 2 Extrememe processors, XLR8 GeForce 8800 Ultra graphics card with a 768MB of GDDR3 overclocked by PNY tp 621MHz from 575MHz. It has 200 MBPS HotwireWith Lumenlab’s™ Hotwire™ networking and utilizes Q’s powerplug which pars down all the connectivity to one single cable. The choice of HD-DVD or BluRay drive, SPDIF 8.1 channel audio, Noctua silent cooling manufactured in Austria only add to the Q’s prowess.

What this means to you: You could probably get two comparable Dell computers for the same price, but then no one would be able to stand stupefied at your crazy ass for having such a thing. That is pretty much the worth the cost.

Cost: $10,000 @ Lumenlab