Toshiba announces 19 new flatpanel TVs
posted May 20th 2005 10:14PM
Toshiba, in a frenzy of announcements, just launched their 2005 line-up showing off 19 (!) new flat panel TVs that span Toshiba's CinemaSeries and TheaterWide product lines. New models range from 14 to 50-inches wrapped in plasma, LCD, or LCD with built-in DVD (LCDVD) technology. The list is waaay too exhaustive to cover here, but hey, that's what the "read" link is for, dig? So let's hit the highlights. Let's start big 'cause we know you're chompin' at the bit for specs on that 50-incher. The mac daddy in the 2005 CinemaSeries is the 50-inch 50HPX95 integrated HD Plasma TV, with 720p HD panel resolution. It features Toshiba's new SoundStrip speaker system offering improved sound quality in less space, a "PC input" (DVI hopefully as in earlier Tosh sets), and IEEE1394 (firewire). There is also a 42-inch little brutha affectionately named 42HPX95. All the CinemaSeries plasmas will include THINC (Toshiba Home Interactive Network Connection) which allows us to connect our PCs and "playback MP3 and JPEG files" using the TV remote. No mention of how this is done (software, drivers, OSes supported, wireless or tethered) and we're a bit puzzled by the apparent lack of support for video — it's a TV for crissake! All new widescreen HD models boast HDMI digital inputs (for rawkin' uncompressed video), and all integrated HD models also include a CableCARD slot, TV Guide On Screen, and Toshiba's new Channel Browser system which "brings the Back Button to the TV." (Uh, didn't we already have that in 1980?) Of additional note are two new 32-inch and 37-inch LCD TVs which feature integrated HD, 720p, come with and without built-in DVD, and sport HDMI and "PC inputs." The 50HPX95 will be available in September for $5,500US while the 32 and 37-inch boxes (with built-in DVD) will be available in July for $3k and $4k respectively.
Maybe I'm just behind the times but it seems like a 42" plasma with "720p True" resolution (which I take to mean 1280x720) for under four grand MSRP is pretty big news. I mean it's hard to find a panel that's got anything but 1024x768; the real expensive ones do 1280x720 but we're talking like ten frikkin' thousand dollars.
They also list that same weird 720p True thing for the LCD screens, which also would be pretty cool if true. Very few LCD TV's are true 1280x720 16:9 screens.
Seems like a pretty good lineup at some decent prices. (Still out of my range for the most part, though.)
btw, yes I am posting on Engadget at 3:47 AM on a Friday night.
pff. its 4:05 where i am .... i read engadget before going to bicycling to work at 4:15 every morning :x
I picked up the 26HF85 26" 16:9 CRT for $500 a few weeks ago. A great 1080i set for a bedroom.
Sure will be nice when normal human beings can afford an HDTV. Like, in 15 or 20 years. Who the hell is buying these things? There can't be that many wealthy people in the country.
"Who the hell is buying these things? There can't be that many wealthy people in the country."
You don't need to be wealthy, really. The only reason these are out of my range is because I'm saving up for a house. I'm not wealthy; I'm lower middle class.
There's a huge income disparity between different parts of the country. I used to live in the midwest, where if you made $30k/year you were considered borderline wealthy.
In NYC, and LA and SFO and other coastal cities, the cost of living is ridiculously higher, and the wages are too. Making $30k here wouldn't even get you a studio apartment in the South Bronx. Middle class *starts* at around $60k/year, and if you figure about 10% of that is going to go towards spending money, that's $6,000.
It's kind of unfair, really, but it's unfair whichever side you're on, in different ways. I may make more than midwesterners do doing similar jobs, but they don't have to pay $5,000 a year in car insurance either.