Recent studies suggest that there are 25 million homes in the U.S with a TV connected to the Web, a figure that could quadruple by 2016. And a security expert says that those Web-connected TVs and other home entertainment gear could be tempting and easy targets for computer hackers.

Targeting a crowd not willing or able to spring for its more expensive—though more extensive—Boxee Box, D-Link has just released the MovieNite, a new $60 streaming-media player.

Following up on its earlier announcement of some of its 2012 HDTV lineup, Panasonic has released details on its other sets, such as its flagship VT-series plasmas, as well as new larger-sized LCD TVs.

Perhaps a bit lost in all the excitement about the new iPad was the news that Apple also decided to tweak its Apple TV streaming media player. In addition to getting a new, faster processor, the big news was really that the latest version of Apple TV has a streamlined, icon-driven interface—available to second-generation Apple TVs as an upgrade—and it now supports 1080p video via its sole HDMI output. For Apple fans, another bonus was that despite the new features, the Apple TV's price held firm at $99.

As we saw at CES, Sharp is looking to differentiate its 2012 TV lineup by focusing on larger-size sets: 20 Aquos-brand LCD TVs will have screens at least 60 inches. Sharp's emphasize on ever-larger screen sizes is something of a gamble, especially in this economy.

At a press conference today, Walmart announced a new disc-to-digital service that will let customers bring in their physical DVD and Blu-ray libraries and convert them to digital movies that can be accessed via Vudu, the online video service now owned by Walmart.

While support for 1080p video and a new, streamlined interface were the highlights of Apple's revamped Apple TV, we have a few additional details beyond what was included in our initial post yesterday. Overall, while the changes in Apple's streaming media player aren't revolutionary, they do make it more competitive with other streaming set-top boxes, such as those from Roku and the Boxee Box.

During its press conference this afternoon, Apple announced a new Apple TV set-top box that sports a new, streamlined user interface and the ability to transmit 1080p movies and TV shows from the Apples iTunes store. The new box will sell for $99—the same as the current version, which is limited to 720p video—and it will be available starting next week.

Samsung has released the pricing on its line of new 2012 LCD and plasma TVs, many of which boast an enhanced Smart TV suite of apps and services and some new ways to control the TV, as well as 3D. In addition, many step-up models will also get a performance boost thanks to new dual-core processors that allow the TV to multitask: For example, you can toggle back and forth between a movie and an app that can run simultaneously. And the entire line of Internet-capable sets now get built-in Wi-Fi and full Web browsers.

If you've been thinking about getting a new HDTV but have been putting off your purchase, now might be the best time to get a great deal on a new set, especially one with step-up features. And you might not want to think about it for too long.

Apple has sent out invitations to a March 7 event, which many tech enthusiasts suspect will be the announcement of the iPad 3 tablet computer. The invite taunts that its announcement next week will be "something...to see" as well as "touch," leading much speculation of an unveiling of the successor to Apple's iPad 2—a Recommended model in Consumer Reports' Ratings of tablets> But, could there be something more, such as a new Apple TV?

DirecTV, which has partnered on and off with TiVo for more than a decade, is hoping that this time the relationship will stick, with an expansion of a recent 10-market trial that offered its customers the option of a TiVo HD DVR that integrates with the DirecTV service.

Are you in love with a techie? Forget the flowers and candy. Here are five suggestions for sharing your love in a way they'll really appreciate.

Verizon and Coinstar, the owner of Redbox, today announced a new video entertainment service that combines new release DVD and Blu-ray rentals with television and movie streaming and downloads.

When watching the Big Game—or anything else on your TV, for that matter—you'll want to optimize the TV's settings: fix the color, contrast, brightness, and so on, to make your picture as realistic as possible. With today's televisions, that can be an intimidating prospect! In this video, our lab expert Chris Andrade goes through the steps to make it easy for you to set up your TV yourself. Your Super Bowl party guests will thank you.