The new Xbox 360 will perform as an IPTV set-top box, which will enable users to download movies and TV shows through Internet network and watch them on TV.

HP will also debut TVs that can access movies, photos and music directly from computers or from the Internet.

"It’s the new CE - not consumer electronics," Jan-Luc Blakborn, HP’s director of digital entertainment, was quoted by AP. "We like to think of it as connected entertainment."

From the mobile industry, Sony Ericsson is unveiling a watch that can receive calls, check e-mails and play music. Nokia is taking a mobile tablet PC a phone that can be used as a credit card.

Korea’s top two electronics firms _ Samsung Electronics and LG Electronics _ are among key players in this year’s Consumer Electronics Show (CES), each occupying more than 2,000 square meters of space in central spots. Smaller firms such as LG.Philips LCD, Daewoo Electronics, Reigncom and Cowon also are taking part in the industry fest, which goes through this Thursday.

Believing that the transition from the high-definition to the full high-definition will be the main theme of the New Year, makers are bringing a wide range of "extreme quality" TVs and video players to the show. But LG is stealing the limelight with the first Blu-ray/HD-DVD dual player.

The industry has been divided into two sides _ Blu-ray team led by Sony and Samsung and HD-DVD group inspired by Toshiba and Microsoft. But LG is trying to break the wall and make the competition meaningless with the introduction of this all-around player, though it will carry a somewhat cumbersome price tag.

The breakthrough invention will be challenged by Warner Bros., which made a similar attempt from a different angle. The media giant is introducing the Total HD Disc that places both formats of movies on a single disk. The price, however, also remains as a key question mark.

Samsung’s showroom will be full of tech-savvy gadgets, and its main focus is large-screen TVs. The company was crowned as the world’s largest TV maker last year with the splendid success of Bordeaux brand, and is unveiling its sequel today. Its 102-inch full-HD TV will certainly be one of the main attractions of the show as well.

Committed to the Blu-ray side, Samsung is unveiling new, and cheaper Blu-ray player, which is expected to be priced at around $500. Another noteworthy products are a double-sided LCD display for mobile phones, a slim MP3 music player that has an external speaker, and a slide-up style mobile phone with a full qwerty keyboard.

Daewoo Electronics, the distant third after Samsung and LG, is taking a lineup of full-HD LCD TVs with a snowflake pattern embroiled on the frame. Sleek Blu-ray players and car