William (Bill) Stubbs, a Houston-based designer and one of Architectural Digest's top 100 designers, shares his knowledge and philosophy in 13 half-hour episodes of the new PBS series A Moment of Luxury. Presented nationally by WLIW New York, the series premiered nationwide this month (check local listings for your channel and broadcast time). Its aim is to make "the experience of luxury -- excellence, comfort and high quality -- accessible at any budget with transformational tips inspired by international locales and top experts. The website has lots to read, such as an episode guide, a list of Stubbs' travels and of course, a blog, so you can "create your own interaction with luxury." Don't we all want that?

Armani and Samsung have collaborated again, this time on a premium HDTV design. Revealed for the first time at the opening of the Milan International Furniture Fair. Combining cutting edge technology from Samsung with cutting edge design from Giorgio Armani, this is one sleek 1080p LCD television. Available in 46" and 52" sizes the tv itself is pretty basic looking (although I'm sure it has a more than "basic looking" picture) but the remote control sounds like it puts on quite the light show with "a full range of radiant backlights." Plus there's a smaller pebble-shaped remote for basic functions. Look for the smaller tv model to launch first (in Europe) this summer, with the 52" quickly following.

Just how big a television do you need when you are outside? I've mentioned the SunBrite outdoor televisions before but their new model brings a new level of hugeness to your outdoor viewing experience. The company will be showing off a 46-inch HD-ready all-weather television at the CEDIA Expo in September. The new model has an airflow system that keeps the unit cool in temperatures up to 122ºdegrees F and a heater that allows the the TV to safely remain outdoors in temperatures as low as -24º F. It can be used with a variety of mounts including a deck/planter pole mount that for use on a patio or pool deck. The 4600HD sells for $4995.

Some plasma televisions are works of art in and of themselves and to hide them would be a shame. But most aren't so fabulous and are better kept out of sight when not in use. There are lots of clever ways to conceal a flat-screen television - I've seen them behind panels, paintings and drapes as well as inside pop-up entertainment centers. But as far as a remedy to the unsightly black hole of the television, this one gets points for creativity. Wood-framed beveled mirrors of different sizes overlap in an artful arrangement that not only hides your flat-screen television, but adds light and space to your room. The overall dimensions are 71"W x 11"D x 51" and the cabinet will accommodate most 50" plasma televisions. $4649.

The latest watches from Icelink offer a alternative to the blinding all-diamond face of their six time zone watch. The Senator collection for women features watches like the one seen on the left which is stainless steel with 3.50 ct. of Diamonds on the bezel and crowns. The watch has a red dial and a crocodile band and sells for $14,900.
Even more understated is the watch on the right from the men's Ambassador collection which is stainless steel with a carbon fiber dial and a crocodile leather band and sells for $3,500. Icelink has also launched a line of ceramic, stainless steel and ceramic jewelry.

The BeoVision 8 TV is designed to be beautiful and versatile at the same time, and is designed to appeal to the "every day" needs of its target market. It's a compact LCD TV that's just as happy on the floor as it is in a more formal entertainment center or on your computer desk. It has a hidden built-in speaker capable of putting out the quality sound you expect from Bang & Olufsen, along with a picture that looks good in difficult lighting (sunlight included!) thanks to a new high-glare surface and low-reflection coating. It also has both a low light transmission and a high black level for an awesome LCD screen. Everything is integrated, which makes the BeoVision 8 easy to move around, to where ever the summer takes you.

The evolution of plasma televisions which provide theater-like experiences continues onward with the introduction of the huge 65-inch Vidikron VP-6500VHD television. It has 1920 x 1080 (1080p) resolution and is the first plasma display to achieve THX certification for video quality and performance. This is important for those looking to approximate the cinema experience at home. It also has Vidikron's IntelliWide™ mode which allows for viewing of all 4:3 content in a 16:9 widescreen format, filling the entire 65-inch screen without appreciable picture degradation. It has a brushed anodized aluminum frame but is also available with a black frame. The VP-6500VHD sells for $19,995.

Now that just about everyone has gotten their paws on a flatscreen television the furniture options to display them are getting increasingly interesting. Check out this new piece from Mobelform, a company that knows a lot about furniture that does more than just sit there and look pretty. The Periscope TV stand has a remote-controlled height adjustment so that your TV can slide up and down the length of the TV stand. A cable manager on the back takes care of the unsightly stuff and it has a shelf for extra components. It sells for $6,580.

If you're a fan of the hit show 24, you know exactly how cool Jack Bauer is. He saves the world many times over in every season and kicks some serious bad-guy ass while doing it. For the sake of health and sanity, watching Jack Bauer's life is far safer than trying to live it, but living like him is certainly possible. Uncrate has a guide to living like Jack, so that you can get some of the perks from being one of the most dangerous people in the country without any risk to life or limb. Must-haves include the Special Ops Watch ($450) that was once available only to military personnel, a "Jack Pack" messenger bag ($19) and a Motorola i880 ($250) with antimicrobial coating for safeguarding against germ warfare.

Medical insurance, though less glamorous than the above items, is probably also a good idea.

Wall dividers are ideal for separating large spaces into smaller, more manageable areas that are easier to put to use, as well as to decorate. The Ultimate Swivel Room Divider is an amazing piece of furniture that not only allows for a stylish division of space, but also provides something that is more than just decorative. The wall has space for a flat panel TV to be attached on one side or a rotating panel and a shelf/drawer storage system on the other. At the touch of a button, a pneumatic cylinder is activated to rotate the panel. It is made of engineered wood with Java Matte and high-gloss white lacquer finishes. The entire unit measures 96" W x 24" D x 84.5" H. Price: $3,600.

[via born rich]

This leopard-printed gadget from Konka may have an interesting frame, but it has an even more interesting function. Dubbed the "Magic Mirror," it is a wall-mounted LCD TV that has a camera built into the top frame. When the TV is not in use, the camera "reflects" a view of the room onto the screen. Because the frame is vertically oriented, it seems like you might get some distortion (to say the least) if you actually want to watch TV, but the concept certainly is interesting. There is no price yet on the "mirror," but hopefully they'll come up with some new frame options when it is released in case leopard doesn't match the color scheme of potential customers' homes.

At CES, Samsung had a display that featured their newest plasma TV. The Samsung FP-T5894W is a flat panel, wall-mounted TV that is completely wireless.

Up until this point, if you wanted to have the look of wireless, you would need to pay someone to install the TV and hide the wires in the wall behind the unit, which means that you ended up with an attractive look, but that you couldn't move the TV or even attach DVD players, etc. to it without attaching additional wires. The FP-T5894W has a wireless A/V center that can be placed up to 300 feet from the screen and will communicate at 150Mbps, the 802.11n wireless standard. The screen is 58-in. with 1080 px resolution and, according to Samsung, a 10,000:1 contrast ratio.

The retail release is scheduled for September 2007. List price is expected to be $5,799.

If colorful, retro designs are appealing to you, you don't have to limit your fascination to furnishings to express your tastes. Telstar has resurrected the vintage Predicta brand and makes a number of different, retro models that have the look of yesterday with the technological advances of today. Although the designs of the Predicta TVs are vintage, the sets are not. They are made with entirely new parts, are compatible with VCRs, cable and satellites, and come with a distinctive remote control (if you'd rather have your remote match the set than use a universal). There are a lot of color options, as well as different finishes for the cabinets and mounts, and custom designs are available.

[via cribcandy]

Philips becomes the latest company to make a diamond bedazzled television but this sparkly beauty is just for show. To celebrate their one millionth Ambilight FlatTV they have created a 42-inch Ambilight LCD HDTV with 225 carats of diamonds. There are close to 2,250 diamonds along the sides and edges of the set's Ambilight frame. The diamonds and the floral design were provided by A. Link jewelers. The one-of-a-kind television is not for sale but will be shown at various events this year, starting with CES>

Sony's gearing up to take on Samsung in the giant LCD market with their just-announced Bravia KD-70XBR3. This monster boasts a 7,000:1 dynamic contrast ratio, their new LCD backlight, blur-reducing "Motionflow" technology and a whole host of other next-gen performance specs that promise to make you feel like you're actually rocking the eighth Freebird solo in Guitar Hero II. They'll be shipping in February (same as Samsung), but you can pre-order the Sony now at Sony Style or a few retailers for a cool $33,000 Georgies.