Remember back in 2007 when the battle for high-definition disc was being waged between Sony’s Blu-ray and Toshiba’s HD-DVD? Although some of the echos of that battle can still be heard today (see a Blu-ray player for the Xbox 360, anyone?), Toshiba is apparently done feeling sorry for itself after formally putting the HD-DVD format out to pasture in early 2008: reports in the Japanese newspaper Yomiuri Shimbun have Toshiba gearing up to launch its own line of Blu-ray players, at least in Japan, perhaps in time for the end-of-year holiday season.
Tag Archive: high definition televisions
Americans Adopting HDTVs, But Not So Keen on Blu-ray
Remember back in early 2008 when Warner Bros. effectively ended the HD DVD/Blu-ray format war by pledging to offer its movies exclusively in Blu-ray format? Toshiba may have thrown in the towel in HD DVD shortly thereafter, but a new poll from Harris Interactive (PDF) finds American consumers have yet to solidly embrace Blu-ray…and, in fact, HD DVD is still kinda holding its own against the format war “winner” despite having been dead for over a year.
iSuppli: HDTV Shipments Pass Standard TVs
Market analysis firm iSuppli has released its forecasts for the growth of the high-definition television market through 2012, and the report contains one interesting tidbit: in 2008, shipments of high-definition televisions have already overtaken shipments of standard-definition televisions.
“The technology is everywhere these days—on broadcast television, on cable, on satellite, and on the Internet,” said iSuppli senior analyst Sheri Greenspan, in a release. “You can’t escape hearing about something being broadcast in HD or getting the most out of your HD receiver or the most HD channels available.”
Sony Expands Bravias, Adds Internet Video
In addition to a selection of new Cyber-shot cameras, Sony today announced serious expansions to its Bravia flat-panels television line, and finally set both a price and availability date on its computer-free Bravia Internet Video Link, which will enable users to put Internet video on their compatible Bravia televisions without needing to go through a computer.
Sony Unpacks New Cyber-Shot Shooters
Sony Electronics today announced a new selection of Cyber-shot digital cameras, one set designed to appeal to to the fashion-conscious point-and-shoot crowd, and another offering advanced features and a whopping 15×optical zoom for more demanding photographers.
Report: Global HDTV Homes to Triple by 2011
A new report from market research firm Informa Telecoms & Media predicts that the number of HDTV households worldwide will total 151 million by the year 2011, more than triple from the number at the end of 2006. The report predicts the top HDTV market in 2011 will be the United States, followed by Japan, China, the U.K., and Germany; the U.S. will have nearly 63 million HDTV households, while number two Japan will be approaching 30 million. Currently, the U.S. and Japan represent nearly 80 percent of the global HDTV market, with the United States accounting for 27.7 million HDTV households.
HP Brings LCD, Plasma TVs to CES
Folks might think of Hewlett-Packard as a company which makes boring productivity gear like beige computers, beige printers, and the occasional non-beige scientific calculator, but the company is increasingly chasing the consumer electronics market and has introduced a bevy of LCD and plasma-based high-definition televisions at this year’s CES.
As part of its 2007 offering, HP is rolling out two LCD-based MediaSmart HDTVs (the SL4278N and SL4778N), offering 1080p resolution and screen sizes of 42 and 47 inches, respectively. These are balanced by the LC4376N and LC4776N 42- and 47-inch LCD 1080p LCD TVs, and three LCD panels (the LC3272N, LC3772N, and LC4272N) offering 720p resolution and screen sizes of 32, 37, and 42 inches, respectively. And HP is in the plasma television game, offering 42 and 50-inch units (the PL4272N and PL 5072N) with 720p resolution.
Mitsubishi Introduces new Televisions
LCD Televisions
Mitsubishi introduced four Digital Cable Ready microdisplay high-definition televisions that feature three-chip LCD technology and all-new compact, high-style designs at its national dealer line show.
Mitsubishi’s WD-52527 (52-inch), WD-62527 (62-inch), WD-52528 (52-inch) and WD-62528 (62-inch) are equipped with SmartShutter, Mitsubishi’s patented high-contrast system that produces images with deep blacks and incredible dark scene detail. SmartShutter improves contrast by four times when compared to standard LCD rear projection systems, thanks to Mitsubishi’s proprietary optical technology that utilizes advanced aperture control to reduce light output levels during dark scenes.
Sony Debuts New Receiver Lineup
Leading the 2005 line is Sony’s STR-DE998 7.1 channel audio/video receiver with 110 watts per channel and a 32-bit digital signal processor. Digital Cinema Sound (Cinema Studio EX) processing also adds outstanding sound quality while delivering stunning, realistic theater sound. Based on the expertise of Sony Pictures, this sound system was engineered to reproduce three-dimensional sound the way it is heard in a modern movie theater allowing home viewers to experience cinematic sound the way the director intended.
Sony Introduces New DVD Players
The DVP-CX995V 400-disc DVD/Super-Audio CD (SA-CD) changer up-scales video to high definition (1080i/720p) resolution and transmits high quality audio through a High Definition Multimedia Interface (HDMI). HDMI connections allow for the transfer of uncompressed digital signals to other HDMI equipped components such as Sony’s Grand WEGA LCD rear projection high definition televisions.
The 2005 line also includes two single-disc HDMI DVD players and two progressive models addressing multiple levels of performance and budget. All of the new DVD players feature Precision Cinema Progressive circuitry and 12bit/108MHz video D/A converter for high-quality video output.






