[Mr Kite]

Copied and Pasted from my Forum friend Rizzo:

Robert has given me a headsup on this years shootout:

Re: 2014 Shootout ?
Here’s what I know at this moment.

Below is our latest list of TVs (with NA nomenclature) that are likely to be included in our 2014 Flat and Curved HD and UHD Shootout Evaluation event. One or more may be dropped or added if available. Finally, not sure at this time if we’ll permit the OLED to be included in the final official decision to crown the “2014 King of HDTV” and our crowning of the “2014 King of 4K Ultra HD” So if we don’t use the OLED votes in the determination of the winner we will publish the results for the attendees and public to know if OLED would have won if they were included.

Day One the Full HD Competition

LCD/LED Full HD displays:

Samsung UN65H8000
LG 65LB7100
Sharp LC-70UQ17U
Sony KDL-65X950B

Plasma Full HD displays:

Samsung PN64F8500

LG’s 60PB6900 - >No final decision, but we are testing for possible inclusion.

OLED Full HD:

LG’s new 55EC9300

Day Two the 4K Ultra HD Competition

LCD/LED 4K Ultra HD displays:

Sony XBR-65X950B full array locally dimmed
Samsung UN65HU8550
Samsung UN65HU9000
LG 65UB9800 or the 79" UB9800
Toshiba 65L9400U full array locally dimmed

OLED 4K Ultra HD:

LG’s 77EC9800


I’d like to include Vizio’s reference series, but it’s not launching till Q4 if at all. Also I’ll ask Panasonic if they would like to participate with their new TC-65AX900U 4K LCD/LED TV.

Here’s a few more tidbits. On day one we’re doing the 1080p Shootout. However, at the opening of the event we’ll light up the Ultra HD Shootout wall, discuss the models and some of our findings. At the conclusion of each of the two days we’ll have a q/a with the expert panelists, attendees and cyberspace questions and comments will be answered. Also on both days before the attendees leave we’ll announce the winner of the competition Shootout. At the conclusion of day two we’ll put the winners of day one (1080p) and day two (UHD) butt next to each other and we’ll demonstrate 1080p and Ultra 4K, unconverted and down converted and we’ll have the audience pass the two displays in a line at 1.5 x the screen height to see if they can see the advantages of UHD.

Regarding the actual event date we are pushing for the earliest possible date, but coordination of our long term team of expert panelists, headed by Kevin Miller, DeWayne (D-Nice) Davis, David Mackenzie (of HDTVtest forum of the UK) and Ed Johnson along with our Videographer Joe So So; inclusion of all of the displays that come from our stock of random inventory is some of the items that must be taken into account. I’m also working with our previous VIP guests to be sure they will be available and I have a few new special VIP guests attending this year and I’d like to accommodate all of these VIP guests. At this moment it looks like the earliest date is June 27th and I’m sure it will be no later than July 11th.

This is all I have at this moment and much of this is still fluid so if some of this changes please understand that all of this is still subject to our final testing of each display and the manufacturers' final decisions. Even some of my ideas and all of the changes that are triggered by our inclusion of 4K Ultra HD are subject to change.

This will be our biggest and most exciting and interesting Shootout. In the past nine years we’ve had between 6 and 8 displays competing, this year, our tenth video evaluation Shootout we’ll have many more TVs.

-Robert