Vizio officially launched its new P (Performance) series of Ultra HD TVs Tuesday in New York, pitting its flagship 65-inch TVs against its top rival Samsung. Vizio hung its high-end TVs art-style on the walls while also holding video “shootouts” in darkened rooms of its 65-inch 4K TVs against competing models from Samsung’s 8500 series. Because most material currently available for viewing is HD, Vizio compared upscaled content between the two sets to promote its upscaling engine, Vizio Product Marketing Manager Carlos Angulo told us. Angulo noted the significant price difference between the two models, tagging the competing Samsung TV at $4,999 versus Vizio’s $2,199 price. Our price-check Wednesday revealed a selling price of $3,179, a $300 discount, on the Samsung model at Costco, far below the figure Angulo gave but still a hefty premium over the Vizio TV of the same size. During the test using a Spears and Munsil evaluation tool, Angulo pointed out motion artifacts in the Samsung that didn’t occur in the Vizio, an expected result in a select test chosen by the sponsoring company. Using clips from Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, Robynne Curry, director-product marketing, demoed the same two TV models in a different room for a contrast and black-level comparison. While the Vizio TV’s 64 LED zones produced more uniform lighting versus the edge-lit LED model from Samsung that had a halo effect in the lower left of the screen, we also noticed too much contrast in one scene on the Vizio TV, where the sky appeared to have a textured pattern. Curry said the TVs were using their “out of the box” settings, saying settings could be tweaked for optimum performance and personal taste. We asked Curry if Vizio would follow the P series, its first Ultra HD TVs, with a high-dynamic range Dolby Vision model, and she repeated the company line: “We haven’t made any announcements yet.” She steered us instead to the P series, which includes five models from 50 inches ($999) to 70 inches ($2,499). Vizio was one of three TV companies to demonstrate Dolby Vision TVs at CES last January, and Sharp’s complete 2014 TV lineup doesn’t include a model with Dolby Vision, leaving TCL and Vizio as likely suppliers. Dolby has said a Dolby Vision model will be in market by year-end.

The total cost of the Apple Watch’s plastic AMOLED display “is highly dependent on yield rates throughout the manufacturing and assembly process,” DisplaySearch said Wednesday in an emailed sales pitch for its Flexible Displays Technology and Market Forecast Report (http://bit.ly/1msRbgB). “Producing a high resolution AMOLED display alone is challenging,” the company said. “Add the processes for coating the flexible substrate on carrier glass, encapsulation, and laser-lift off and the module process becomes even more complicated.” Assuming a 60 percent yield rate, DisplaySearch estimates the Apple Watch’s display costs more than $27 on bill of materials terms, “depending on the costs of the module, touch panel interface, and cover lens.” For the Apple Watch, Apple is sourcing 1.3- and 1.5-inch AMOLEDs on plastic substrates from LG Display, a DisplaySearch blogger said last month, saying a big benefit of AMOLED on plastic is that it can be extremely thin, light and rugged (CED Aug 26 p6). DisplaySearch has estimated average yield rates above 60 percent would allow LG Display to produce more than 10 million AMOLED-on-plastic panels in 2014. Apple hasn’t given a precise release date on the Apple Watch, but has said it would debut the watch in early 2015 at $349 (CED Sept 10 p1).

Doppler Labs launched tech-infused earplugs Tuesday that are designed to protect ears from loud sounds without sacrificing sound fidelity. The Dubs use mechanical filters made up of 17 parts that use dynamic attenuation to protect ears by reducing audio levels by an average of 12 dB, the company said. More than 6 million people in the U.S. between the ages of 18 and 44 suffer from hearing loss due to exposure to loud sounds, including settings such as live music venues and sports stadiums, which can lead to permanent hearing damage, Doppler said. The earplugs began shipping Tuesday for $25 at SoulCycle, through TAO Group locations and online (www.getDUBS.com). They'll be sold at Best Buy beginning Nov. 3, Doppler said. The earplugs are the first product from Doppler Labs, whose founders include Dan Wiggins, a former transducer engineer for Sonos, and ex-Microsoft executive Fritz Lanman.

Samsung bowed the Ryder Cup TV App, an interactive app developed with Turner Sports that’s designed to let users follow live scores, access behind-the-scenes video footage and view course details via virtual hole flyovers during the Ryder Cup tournament held in Perthshire, Scotland, Sept. 23-28. The app is a way for consumers to enjoy “new and immersive experiences across our products,” including smart TVs and mobile devices, said Eric Anderson, Samsung vice president-content and product solutions, Tuesday. A broadcast mode allows users to toggle between checking live video feeds, an interactive leaderboard and their favorite Team USA golfers, Samsung said. The app is available on select 2013 and 2014 Samsung smart TVs, it said.

Vizio exerted more pricing pressure on the 4K Ultra HD TV market Tuesday with a three-figure starting price point for a 50-inch full-array LED-lit LCD TV. The lineup of P series TVs, Vizio’s first foray into 4K, ranges from $999 for the 50-inch P502ui-B1 to $2,499 for a 70-inch P702ui-B3. Vizio’s $2,499 price for a 70-inch model compares with the same $2,499 suggested retail price for a Samsung 50-inch 4K Ultra HD TV, but Samsung’s 50-inch UN50HU8550 had a street price of $1,797 Tuesday at Amazon in a competitive market. Vizio’s P series has full-array local dimming LED backlights, supported by 72 active LED zones, the company said. Each zone dynamically adjusts to control the backlight based on the content on screen for deeper black levels and higher contrast than edge-lit LED TVs, it said. The P series includes an HEVC H.265 codec, 802.11ac dual-band Wi-Fi for faster streaming and the HDCP 2.2 support for playback of protected Ultra HD content, Vizio said. A V6 six-core processor -- comprising a quad-core graphics processor plus a dual-core CPU -- powers the TV and enables an “even faster smart TV” experience, Vizio said. The TVs will be available “soon” at retailers including Amazon, Best Buy, Costco, Sam’s Club, Target and Walmart, it said. Walmart was taking pre-orders for the 50-inch model Tuesday at a dollar off, $998. Prices for additional models are $1,399 for the 55-inch model, $1,699 for the 60-inch and $2,199 for the 65-inch, it said.

Rovi program guides have been deployed on more than half a million standard-def and HD digital terminal adapters (DTAs), the company said Tuesday. Rovi is providing its TV programming guide “throughout the U.S. and Latin America” through deals with Armstrong, Arris, Cablevision Argentina, Evolution Digital, Pace and “more than a dozen leading cable operators,” Rovi said. DTAs convert incoming digital signals into analog signals that can be viewed on older television sets, the release said. The devices help cable companies upgrade local systems from analog to digital and optimize bandwidth to support high-definition channels and high-speed data, the release said. Rovi’s DTA Guide “eases the digital transition and enhances the experience for consumers by offering cable subscribers an Interactive Program Guide for navigating content choices,” the release said.

Mojio will introduce a cloud-based device in time for the holiday selling seasons that will let most vehicles manufactured after 1996 become connected cars via AT&T’s wireless network, Mojio said Tuesday (http://bit.ly/1riGtYU). The Mojio device plugs into any car’s onboard diagnostic port, which is found on most cars made after 1996. With AT&T’s wireless network connectivity, car owners will be able to locate, monitor and diagnose their car from an iPhone or Android smartphone. Unlike other aftermarket connected car devices, Mojio is built on an open platform that supports an ecosystem “where developers can focus on continually improving the driver experience by creating apps that run on Mojio’s platform,” it said. Third-party apps in development include parking payments, automated trip expensing, simplified car rental and home automation connections, it said. The Mojio device will be available for $149, which includes the first year of service, it said. The second year will cost $4.99 a month, it said.

A bipartisan group of lawmakers warned several government agencies against allowing in-flight cellphone conversation, earning praise from the Association of Flight Attendants-CWA (AFA). The 77 House members sent a letter to the heads of the FCC as well as to the departments of Homeland Security and Transportation and Attorney General Eric Holder. Reps. David McKinley, R-W.Va., and Daniel Lipinski, D-Ill., led the Monday letter. “We urge you to continue the ban on voice calls on all commercial aircraft, and believe that your agencies must also work collaboratively to address safety and security concerns raised by the potential introduction of other wireless capabilities before they are permitted in-flight,” the lawmakers said (http://bit.ly/1tXz2si). They are “extremely concerned” over the FCC proposal “to allow the use of wireless communication devices on commercial flights that does not fully address these safety and security issues, nor does it seem coordinated with your other agencies,” they said. The FCC has said it is examining this issue from a technical standpoint, and the Department of Transportation has begun examining a potential ban of in-flight cellphone conversation. “For over ten years, AFA has been a leader in pushing for comprehensive and ongoing consideration of the risks associated with new in-flight communications technology,” AFA International President Sara Nelson said in a statement. “As first responders and the last line of defense in our nation’s aviation system, Flight Attendants remain strongly opposed to cell phone use in the aircraft cabin. ... In far too many operational scenarios, mobile broadband use could be far worse than a mere nuisance: It could have catastrophic effects on aviation safety and security.”

MediaTek launched MediaTek Labs, a global initiative that allows developers “of any background or skill level” to create wearables and Internet of Things devices, the chip maker said Monday (http://bit.ly/1wGFNhL). Its launch will open up “a new world of possibilities for everyone -- from hobbyists and students through to professional developers and designers -- to unleash their creativity and innovation,” the company said. “We believe that the innovation enabled by MediaTek Labs will drive the next wave of consumer gadgets and apps that will connect billions of things and people around the world."

Beats Electronics denies Bose allegations it infringed five Bose noise-canceling headphone patents, and wants the investigation into those allegations terminated, Beats told the U.S. International Trade Commission last week in its answer to the Bose complaint (http://1.usa.gov/1u9bx0M). Beats believes the Bose patents are not “valid or enforceable” because they were issued “in violation of one or more provisions” of U.S. patent law, Beats said without elaborating. Bose filed the ITC complaint July 25 seeking exclusion and cease-and-desist orders against Beats imports. But the relief Bose seeks “would not further the public interest,” and would “adversely affect the public welfare, competitive conditions, and the U.S. consumer,” Beats said. Bose “has failed to show that it is practicing the claims of the asserted patents in the United States or that it has made a significant investment in U.S. plant and equipment related to the asserted patents, a significant employment of U.S. labor and capital related to the asserted patents, or a substantial investment in U.S. exploitation of the asserted patents, including engineering, research, development, and/or licensing in the United States,” Beats said. ITC judges voted unanimously Aug. 27 to open a Tariff Act Section 337 investigation into the Bose allegations (CED Aug 29 p6). Two days later, U.S. Magistrate Judge Christopher Burke granted Beats its motion for a stay, pending the outcome of the ITC investigation, in the mirror complaint that Bose filed against Beats July 25 in U.S. District Court in Wilmington, Delaware (CED July 29 p3). Bose lawyers did not oppose the Beats motion for a stay, court documents said (http://1.usa.gov/1rcU5EU). Beats and Bose representatives didn’t comment on the Beats answer to the Bose ITC complaint, which is being heard in ITC docket number 337-TA-927.