If It's Hip, It's Here (Archives): modern HDTV

Got 2 million dollars to drop on a TV? Then call me (just kidding), but you've come to the right place.

Stuart Hughes, introduces the World's Most Expensive Televisions in conjunction with award-winning electronics company Metz of Germany and PrestigeHD of Switzerland. The Luxury electronics are clad in real gold, encrusted with diamonds and accented with Alligator skin.

Mertz and PrestigeHD approached Stuart Hughes, known for his outrageous luxury gadgets and fashions, to design a new luxury signature range and in his inimitable style. And boy did he do it with a new collection of High Definition TVs clad in 18k gold, gemstones and alligator.

Here are the first two from the collection:

PrestigeHD SUPREME Rose Edition

above: Top of the industry technology 55” screen with the most beautiful materials used. The base and outer frame consist of circa 28 kilograms of solid 18ct rose gold, outer frame is adourned with 72 brilliant round cut 1ct IF Flawless diamonds with the remaining area set with Sunstone & Amethyst. The inner screen layer is made up from Alligator skin, all hand sewn.

Price? £1.5 million or $2,259,044.26 USD
Buy it here

PrestigeHD SUPREME Edition

above: Top of the industry technology 55” screen with the most beautiful materials used. The base and outer frame consist of circa 19 kilograms of solid 22ct gold, outer frame is adourned with 48 brilliant round cut 0.75ct IF Flawless diamonds with the remaining area set with Aventurine & Topaz. The inner screen layer is made up from Alligator skin, all hand sewn.

Price? £1.million or $1,505,994.17 USD

Metz televisions are optimally equipped for use with all existing types of reception. Their outstanding signal processing ensures that you enjoy a brilliant picture at all times. The result is pure, rich colours, sharp lines and optimum contrast.

Prestige is known for their Alligator, Snake, Ostrich, Python, Wood, Gold, Horn, Marble and other exotic framed HD televisions.

Shop the elite collection of products from Stuart Hughes here.

Just a few weeks ago, I did a post on Two Eyes cool-looking customizable self-concealing HDTV.

What I didn't know then, and do now..is that last May, Sony introduced their self-concealing Bravia LCD TV in 32" to Europe*, calling it the Esprit Series. The greatest product difference between this and the Two Eyes self-concealing LCD HDTV is that Sony's "concealing" panel which they call a "grille" is actually a flat panel speaker system with a top loading CD/DVD, thereby making more than a self-concealing tv but a self-concealing home theater system.

*The Sony Tav L1 is available in the US and is marketed without the Esprit name and with fewer panel options

Sony unveiled the Esprit TAV-L1 theatre system in May 2006 to European markets, initially with a plain solid black front panel.

A sleek, beautiful home entertainment experience packed, wire-free, into a simple, clean-lined box. The L1 boasts a grille net, effectively a flat panel speaker that rises in front of the BRAVIA LCD TV, like a silk screen fencing off the horror of 24-hour news.

With a unique motorised front panel that hides the TV screen when you're in standby mode or listening to music and glides open for TV and DVD viewing.

The new Esprit line boasts a touch-sensitive speaker grill in front of the 32-inch BRAVIA HDTV that protects your precious LCD during audio mode. Touch the speaker grille and it glides down the pedestal to reveal the high-def flat panel.

A top-loading CD and DVD slot complements the 50 watts-per-channel 2.1 sound complete with a 100 watt sub.
The 32-inch model is said to soon be followed by a 40-inch model.

You now have the option to swap the Midnight black panel for one of their Limited Edition patterned panels or buy their special offer, TAVL1-3PAN, and get three additional panels in Mint green, Sunset orange and Sand cream, so you can personalize your living room to suit your mood.

Above: the Special offer edition (available here - europe only) that comes with three solid color swappable panels.

Above & below: Their limited edition panels patterned panels (see enlargements below):

Then they came out with more panels and called them the Prestige Collection (designed by Ligne Roset).

The Esprit's Prestige Collection has been created for discerning 'style tech' customers, who choose consumer electronics products for style and design integrity as well as superior technology and is only available from Sony Style and Sony Centres.

The ethos of the brand is 'beautiful simplicity', creating highly functional, fuss-free solutions, which will look good and work well in today's modern urban living environment.

Below are examples of some of Ligne Roset's panel designs for the Esprit Prestige collection

Above: Grille cover "Twiggy"

These wonderful looking 32" home theater systems can be found by clicking here.
or here.

Or , in the US, here.
and here.

And in regards to the 40" version, I have yet to see it on the market.

Specs for the 32" version are:

Screen size: 32"

Resolution: 1366 x 768

Integrated digital tuner

EPG (Electronic Programme Guide)

HD ready

FM tuner

3D Digital Comb Filter

1-Chip video processor

Audio features:

S-Master

Dolby® Digital, Dolby® Prologic II, DTS Digital Surround

S-FORCE Front Surround

Front power output: 50 W x 2

Sub woofer (RMS) power output: 100 W

1 Composite Video In

1 S Video In

2 SCART

1 HDMI

PC input

DVD-R/+R/+R DL/+RW/-RW/-RW(VR) playback

DivX

MP3 playback

Precision Cinema Progressive

Size (L x W x H ): approx. 1069 x 856 X 470 mm

Weight: approx. 58 kg

Buy the 32" Sony esprit here (for those in Europe).

A Little Something For Those More Traditional

If the idea of a motorized flat tv is just a little too sci-fi/futuristic for you or your home decor, Sony has just started offering their Bravia HDTVs with colored monitor frames (see pic below):