Archive for the ‘High Definition’ Category

Recent activity is making 2009 look like the year when manufacturers will be leaving the plasma party en masse, for sure. Even if the number of brands on the shelves isn’t greatly diminished, the number of independent manufacturers will be. Since Philips has continued to reduce its stake in the LCD production venture with LG and handed over North American production to Funai, it’d be no great surprise to see it exit the plasma biz. Just like every party, sometimes the really crazy stuff happens in the wee hours, after the initial exodus; we’ll see next year if plasma goes out strong or sad.

[Via TGDaily]

Sharp’s re-upped on the super-size rollouts, with 22 LCDs including every color and size variation, ready to hit shelves this summer ahead of the Beijing Olympics. Available in black or brown, the RX5 series (pictured) headlines the pack with 65-, 52- and 46-inch versions including 1080p resolution, 120Hz motion, a “living contrast” ratio of 1500:1 (dynamic ratio 20,000:1), 12bit image processing and internet access to a specially tuned Yahoo! Japan page all packed into a 5cm deep frame (42- and 52-inch, 6.6cm for 65-inch). The more mainstream GX5 line ranges from 52- to 32-inches complete with all the 1080p resolution, side mounted ARSS “Around Speaker System”, DLNA access and internet hookups we know and love, plus 32- and 26-inch GH5 models that drop down to 720p, losing the around speakers, internet and 1080p res. The DS5 line is aimed at those who don’t need internet access, but do need to choose between black, white and red LCDs. Check the chart on Sharp’s page to compare with the “world’s thinnest” X-series and see what HDTV corresponds with your social status when these drop in June.

[Via AV Watch & Akihabara News]

Read - Aquos 22 LCD models comparison
Read - R series
Read - G series
Read - D series

Samsung’s stream of 82-inch monsters packing the company’s latest technology continues unabated, this time a minor update to the QuadHD behemoth we saw at CES brings so-outdated 120Hz motion processing and LED backlighting to keep blur and judder far, far away. We know what you’re thinking, its 3840×2160 resolution is no good unless you can write on it, luckily Samsung also has an 82-inch ultra high definition e-Board in its SID 2008 booth. OLED fans take heart, Samsung has reached economies of scale, hopefully meaning reasonably priced (and longer lasting) thin screens are due sooner instead of later. The Korea Times notes LG’s at the show as well, showcasing LCD roll-printing technology to replace the photolithography process that currently births the flat panels on our walls, but we simply can’t be bothered with a company that’s only the number two LCD manufacturer in the world.

[Via TV Snob]

PBS Kids Sprout has announced it’s obtained the U.S. broadcast rights for Dive Olly Dive, a CGI-animated kids show produced in high definition. The network’s focused on growing its preschool audience via digital cable/satellite, VOD and online offerings over the last few years, although it’s not clear where or if we’ll ever get to see the underwater escapades pf research subs-in-training Olly and Beth. Hopefully this turns into a situation like the recently launched Disney Channel HD, with a stockpile of ready to go HD content, already delivering a surprising number of HD ‘toons each morning — you’re not still letting the kids watch SD, are you? Dive Olly Dive joins the Let’s Go Show weekend morning programming block June 7.

It’s been a tick since we’ve seen anything new from AOC, but today the outfit is introducing a new bargain-bin LCD HDTV in its Envision series. The 42-inch L42H761 features a 1080p panel, twin HDMI ports, S/PDIF digital audio out, a PC input (with audio), digital ATSC / ClearQAM tuner, 172-degree viewing angles, 3-D comb filter and “color enhancement / noise reduction features” sure to treat your eyes right. All wrapped up in a glossy, sleek black enclosure, the set dons a MSRP of just $1,049.99, and if history has anything on the present, we’d guess you can find it around for a good bit cheaper than that.

From what we can tell, this is just marketing hoopla to get you to buy a drive “certified” for use in a particular application; in all actuality, users can connect any USB 2.0 external hard drive to their DISH Network HD DVR and expand their storage capacity for a one-time fee. Nevertheless, Western Digital has just let loose its 500GB My DVR Expander, which “more than doubles” your available recording hours by storing up to 300 hours of SD content and 60 hours of high-def goodness. As predicted, the drives work with the satcaster’s ViP family of HD DVRs, and WD is apparently looking to expand the brand to other carriers as soon as they get with the program and enable USB storage. Those willing to fall for this ploy can procure the half-terabyte drive for $149.99, but considering that the port activation fee is still charged, we can’t imagine looking elsewhere first.

[Via FarEastGizmos]

Right around a month after Charter saw fit to gift the greater St. Louis area with eight new HD channels comes word that little ‘ole Osage Beach is next in line to get eleven of its own. Matter of fact, AMC HD, Animal Planet HD, CNN HD, TBS HD, The Movie Channel (TMC) HD, TLC HD, Smithsonian Channel HD, Science HD, Discovery HD, Versus / Golf HD and The Weather Channel HD should all be live in the area as we speak. The rather impressive list of additions brings the total in the region to 30. According to Steve Trippe, vice president and general manager for Charter Communications in Missouri, the carrier will “continue to increase its HD offerings,” though no specifics beyond that were released.