New beater / better car? New HD projector? Pay off that second mortgage? New HD projector? C'mon folks, the choice here is crystal clear, is it not? Mitsubishi's 1080p FL7000U is apparently now ready for consumption here in the US of A, but that native 1,920 x 1,080 resolution, 5,000 ANSI lumens and 1,000:1 contrast ratio will cost you a pretty penny. 1,499,500 of them, in fact, though we heard through the grapevine that you can find it somewhat cheaper on the streets.

[Via AboutProjectors]

If you're a lazy ass consumer (the very best kind), bent on pulling a device out of the box, plugging it into a wall, and never messing with another bit of "setup" again, you're certainly not alone. In fact, most folks never lift a finger to calibrate their displays, plug better speakers in, or place those speakers in actually advantageous spots. To that end, Mitsubishi is debuting its new LT-46149 and LT-52149 LCDs with integrated 16-speaker sound projectors. Similar to the sound bars offered up by many home audio manufacturers, the "Integrated Sound Projector" (iSP) is designed to bounce sound off walls and around the room to give the illusion of surround sound. The perk of TV integration is an easy to use room configuration on-screen tool to specify your room's dimensions, couch placement and preferred sweet spot size. At the end of the day, your sound is all coming from one spot, so directionality isn't going to quite match a for-realsie surround sound setup, and the system we listened to was a little sharp in the high end, but it's certainly a unique and appealing offering from Mitsu to the everyman TV watcher. The TV itself is CableCard ready, can support sound over HDMI and PCM inputs, and offers Mitsu's 120Hz film dejuddering -- that rather awkwardly makes your favorite films look like they were shot by a TV news crew. The 46-inch and 52-inch LCDs will sell for $3,299 and $3,699, respectively.

We got a first glimpse of Mitsubishi's brand new rear-projection-ish laser-based TV tech, LaserVue, back at CES, but now the sets are just about primed for action, and should be hitting store shelves, as previously noted, Q3 2008. LaserVue will debut in 65-inch and 73-inch, with the 65-inch version hitting the scene first. Mitsubishi is still pretty coy about what exactly makes the technology tick -- other than the "zomg, lasers" aspect -- but is quick to point out the 200 percent color gamut that LaserVue provides, more than twice that of most traditional HDTVs. The sets also run at 120Hz, and boast 500 nits of brightness. Head to head against LCD and plasma sets we had trouble finding the differences, other than the color depth (particularly in the reds, almost too much so, though we're sure you can tweak that). Have no fear: the blacks are black, the brights are bright, and the viewing angle puts DLP to shame. That said, we're hearing price points are going to be more comparable to plasma and LCD than DLP, so Mitsubishi might have its work cut out for it in convincing consumers that these new "chubby," 10-inch thick TVs are the way to go. We're not entirely convinced ourselves, though one aspect can't be disputed: LaserVue draws under 200 watts, about half that of LCD and a third of plasma.

We've got good news and bad news. We'll go ahead and get the latter out of the way. Mitsubishi, like everyone else today, is introducing a few new projectors, two of which you'll likely care nothing about. Those are the education-focused XD500U-ST -- which packs a paltry XGA (1,024 x 768) resolution -- and the slightly less mind-numbing XD530U, which touts 3,000 lumens, an XGA resolution and wireless capabilities. Now, for the good stuff. The HC4900 (pictured) is being replaced by the 1080p HC5500, which is designed to operate at just 19dB in order to keep home theater enthusiasts smiling. Unfortunately, Mitsu hasn't seen fit to disclose pricing / availability details just yet (outside of the tempting $2,495 sticker on the HC5500), but hopefully all of that will come in due time. Full release after the jump.

It's no secret the rest of the display industry hasn't been happy with Vizio shaking up the low end with its cheap HDTVs, and now Mitsubishi and others have joined in a lawsuit accusing the manufacturer of refusing to license necessary patents. The 15 patents allegedly violated are for MPEG-2 compression that Mitsu, Sony, Samsung, Philips, Thomson, JVC and Columbia University of New York claim Vizio refuses to license. Vizio says it don't need no stinking licenses, since its suppliers already have them and it believes these licenses extend to its products. MPEG-LA also filed a similar suit against Target's TruTech house brand of televisions; while we'll have to wait for a ruling on the case to see who is right, it seems if they can't compete with these lower prices, other manufacturers will make sure cheap HDTVs cost more to make. For its part, Vizio says it does not believe this suit will have a materially adverse impact on its business, so for now, let the low-price flat screens roll.

Read - Mitsubishi, Samsung Sue Vizio Over Video Patents
Read - VIZIO Comments on MPEG-2 Lawsuit By Electronics Competitors

It looks like we could one day be buying our OLED displays by the jar or the bucket-full, at least if some researchers from Sumitomo Chemical and Mitsubishi Chemical have their way. They're now working on what they describe as "spreadable" OLEDs, which could either be spread or "painted" on virtually any surface, leaving an OLED screen that would be just 100nm thick. As if that wasn't enough, the spreadable concoction would also double as a solar panel that'd keep the OLEDs powered, something that's apparently possible due to the "similar, but opposite, principles" that OLEDs and solar cells work on. What's more, while the two companies are apparently still in the early stages of research, they say they're aiming to have usable prototypes ready within the next two years.

[Via OLED Info]

Talk about product overlap: just over a month ago, Mitsubishi introduced its XD500U, boasting a pixel count of 1,024 x 768 and brightness of 2,200-lumens. Now say "hello" to the XD211U, with the same pixel count, brightness, and BrilliantColor specs. The XD211U weighs in at 0.5-pounds lighter and does boast a new DDP 2230 TI microarray, however. The theft-deterrent security hook will protect the $1595 beamer from any grabby hands around the office or classroom. The projector might be secure, but you know some deadbeat is going to make off with the detachable keypad and render this thing unusable -- better order a spare keypad right up front.

[Via AboutProjectors]

Mitsubishi and the onset of Spring can only mean one thing: an onslaught of HDTVs. Just as it did last year, the aforementioned outfit is busting out a plethora of high-definition sets to whet your appetite. As for the new line of April-bound DLPs ($1,799 to $4,699), you can expect the entire lot -- which ranges from 60- to 73-inches in size -- to sport 1080p panels, thinner frames than those on prior models, increased brightness, Mitsu's own 6-Color Processor and 3D-readiness.

Moving on, we've got the new family of Ultra Thin Frame 1080p LCD HDTVs ($2,499 to $4,499; shipping in May), which span between 40- and 52-inches and feature low-profile speakers, Smooth 120Hz Film Motion / GalleryPlayer technology, 10-bit panels, 6-Color Processor, x.v.Color and Deep Color. For these and the DLPs, those who opt for the Diamond series will be treated to Variable Smooth 120Hz Film Motion technology, a DeepField Imager and an oh-so-desirable blue light accent.

Lastly, the Laser TV which made its debut at CES 2008 is on track for a Q3 release, and just as predicted, it'll be going by the name LaserVue and sporting a currently undisclosed price tag. Hit the read link for the full breakdown.

Pretty amazing what passes as a "business and education projector" these days, huh? The fairly well-spec'd WL6700U is somehow lumped into the aforementioned category, despite it packing a respectable WXGA (1,366 x 800) resolution, 5,000 ANSI lumens, 1,000:1 contrast ratio and a trio of 1.2-inch 3LCD inorganic panels. To be fair, Mitsu does concede that this beamer wouldn't be too out of place in a home theater environment, and the included DVI port, RJ-45 connector (for online management and control) and built-in motion-sensitive anti-theft alarm certainly help prove that point. Unfortunately, such a versatile PJ will likely fit better on the company card than the personal -- unless your Platinum piece isn't fazed by the $9,995 sticker, that is.

Toshiba was first to score a high def recorder capable of stuffing HD content onto your choice of hard disk, blue-laser disc, or standard DVD. However, its HD Rec solution suffers from one little problem: the recently deceased HD DVD format. Now Mitsubishi steps into the void with a pair of 500GB DVR-BZ200 and 250GB DVR-BZ200 Blu-ray recorders. Both feature support for Blu-ray's AVCREC specification allowing them to record about 2 hours of Full HD (1,920 x 1,080) content in MPEG4 AVC/H.264 format direct to standard 4.7GB DVDs. That's about 8 hours to a single-sided Blu-ray disc. Now the catch, the standard is limited to ISDB broadcasts making this a Japan-only solution for the time being. Nevertheless, we expect to see more AVCREC capable devices including camcorders and PC optical drives as the standard prepares for take off. Damn you ATSC!

[Via Akihabara News and Impress]

A lot of readers might be surprised to learn that Mitsubishi even makes cellphones, but yeah, it sure does. Its domestic Japanese market has typically been the recipient of its impressive wares, selling models on NTT DoCoMo using the "D" model name prefix -- but maybe not for much longer. Nikkei is throwing out some rumors today that Mitsu will be exiting the dog-eat-dog cellphone manufacturing biz and possibly doing so very swiftly, even withdrawing models due to hit DoCoMo in the next few weeks. Despite raking in over 100 billion yen (about $958M) annually from its mobile division alone, the company has apparently been unable to make it profitable and recently downgraded its handset sales forecast for the current fiscal year. Frankly, we wish Mitsu had sold enough handsets abroad for us to be really upset about this. Nikkei says an official announcement could come as soon as today, so we'll update you when we know more.

[Thanks, rinse]

Update: Nikkei was dead on. Mitsubishi has just announced that it is ending its cellphone manufacturing business, a venture that goes back some 25 years with the introduction of car phones on NTT's network. For what it's worth, the company says that it'll continue to support its devices and move the 600-odd employees in the business to other parts of the company. It also says that it will "work to maintain and further strengthen the partnership with NTT DoCoMo through the communication related business [it aims] to expand," so don't get too teary-eyed, DoCoMo. Hit the link for the official release.

Yeah, companies have been trumpeting their ability to crank out discs that will last long after Martians come and evaporate our minds here on Earth for some time, but for archive junkies out there, more is always better. On deck today is Mitsubishi's ARLEDIA DVD-Rs, which reportedly feature corrosion-resistant coatings made from gold and silver. 'Course, you can only write to these at 8x, but they are expected to last about twice as long as traditional recordable discs. Not like you'll be around to prove 'em wrong, though.

[Via Impress]

Granted, most of us here in America would turn our noses up at receiving in-home broadband via satellite -- after all, cable and DSL seem to be treating most of us quite alright -- but Japan is hoping to provide access to more regions in Asia-Pacific with its recently launched Kizuna. The experimental satellite is not yet intended for commercial use, but if all goes well, it will enable data transmissions "of up to 1.2 gigabytes per second" at a low cost across Japan and 19 other locales in Southeast Asia. Unfortunately, we've no idea when it will escape the bondage of testing and actually be put to good use, but at least Japan's well on its way to actually establishing that wireless island, eh?

[Via CNN, thanks to everyone who sent this in]

We'll be straight with you -- Mitsubishi's latest duo isn't exactly cut out for in-home use, but that's not to say it wouldn't be the source of copious quantities of enjoyment if you snagged one from the supply closet one weekend. Without further ado, we present the XL1550U, which features an XGA (1,024 x 768) resolution, 3,100 ANSI lumens and a lamp life of up to 5,000 hours. Moving on, we've got the XL2550U, which touts the same resolution but offers up 4,000 ANSI lumens, the firm's new BrightEra LCD panels and a lamp good for around 4,000 hours of use. Furthermore, both units promise side-loading lamps, built-in Ethernet ports for LAN asset management and an RS-232 port for third-party integration. Both of these beamers will be on the market before this month draws to a close for $3,995 and $4,495, respectively.

[Via AboutProjectors]

Frank DeMartin, general manager of Mitsubishi Digital Electronics America, was nice enough to talk a little laser TV with us just before the unveiling of the new laser TV -- we're not exaggerating about the "little" part. While it all sounds fantastic, we were disappointed that he wasn't willing to even begin to satisfy our unlimited thirst for technical details. But he was confident that a laser TV could provide the ultimate in picture quality because "laser has the ability to hit color points that no other technology can." We understand his desire not to spill trade secrets, but any technical information beyond, "it's the best" would've been better than nothing. So while we don't know how the TV works, we do know that the principal makes sense; lasers offer the purest form of light, while at the same time use less power than other light sources. The problem of course is that the competition in the HDTV market is a fast moving target, and with the delays Mitsubishi has been dealing with, we wonder how competitively priced this new technology will be -- though Frank assured us that Mitsubishi's dominance in the red laser market will help . Frank says, "it'll be competitive with flat panel prices," and that's great and all, but price isn't the only factor needed to compete against flat panels, people like thin TVs and the laser TV isn't thin -- it's about as thin as a DLP. But regardless of being the same price, Mitsu thinks the superior picture quality will trump thin because "people want it flat, but they want it large too." Either way, we'll have to wait until some unknown time this year to see if the laser TV can live up to the hype, but with what we know right now, we're not sold just yet.