SiliconOptix
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Vizio's 50-inch REON HQV-packin' VP505XVT now available
Vizio promised that this beast would be on store shelves in July, yet we've been forced to wait (and wait... and wait) until mid-November to finally see it ship. As disgruntled as we are by the delays, we can't help but think that Vizio has a winner on its hands with this 50-incher. The secret weapon here is the Silicon Optix REON HQV processing engine, not to mention the absurdly low $1,499.99 MSRP. For those keeping score, that's a full $200 less that what we were expecting, though shipping rates do range from patently rediculous to clinically insane when ordering direct from Vizio. Our suggestion? Phone up every Costco in your area 'til you land one.[Thanks, Michael]Read - On saleRead - Review
VIZIO intros XVT Series of 1080p LCDs / plasmas
Well, what have we here? A trio of newcomers from "North America's fastest growing brand of flat-panel HDTVs," that's what. Kicking things off in the all new XVT Series is the 42-inch SV420XVT and 47-inch SV47XVT LCD HDTVs, both of which feature 1080p panels, VIZIO's Smooth Motion technology (120Hz), a 6,500:1 contrast ratio and the usual complement of ports including four HDMI 1.3 sockets. Next up we've got the 50-inch VP505XVT, a 1080p plasma with Silicon Optix's famed REON HQV processing engine. Furthermore, this one packs an integrated digital TV tuner (with ClearQAM support), a dynamic contrast ratio of 30,000:1 and SRS Labs' TruSurround XT audio processing technology. The new trio is all set to ship next month for $1,499.99, $1,899.99 and $1,699.99, and of course, you'll find 'em perched at Circuit City, Sears and your favorite Club retailer. [Warning: PDF read link] %Gallery-26080%
Gefen TV Scaler Pro: Realta HQV 1080p upconversion for $699
How can Gefen improve its GefenTV line of equipment? Adding Silicon Optix's Realta HQV processor and pricing it at $699 would appear to be a good start. Originally shown at CES, the Home Theater Scaler Pro takes any source via its dual HDMI 1.3, component, S-video or composite inputs and upscales to 1080p with the same video processing usually reserved for high end equipment like Denon and Marantz's Blu-ray players. True 1080i-to-1080p deinterlacing and per pixel detail enhancement mean your SD sources will look as good as possible -- and not depend on your 1080p HDTV's scaling ability or possible lack thereof -- whenever this box hits shelves.
Vizio cranks out new plasma lineup
Vizio's on quite the rampage today as CES gets going, and it's kicking things off with a new line of plasmas. The new VP series includes the 32-inch VP322 ($689), 42-inch VP422 ($999) / VP423 ($999), 50-inch VP503 ($1,399) / VP504F ($1,699) and the flagship 60-inch VP605F ($2,899). The latter two are Vizio's pride and joy of this bunch, as they both sport Silicon Optix HQV processing, 1080p resolution, an integrated ATSC / Clear-QAM tuner, 30,000:1 contrast ratio and four HDMI 1.3 inputs. The firm is also throwing out a pair of new "all-in-one" solutions (the VP500 / VP501) which include 50-inch sets along with 5.1 surround sound systems. For more details on the whole lot, be sure and give the read link some attention.
Marantz's new high-end Blu-ray player
Supposedly Marantz's new Blu-ray player was at CEDIA, but if it was, we missed it. We won't let that happen again next week and we guarantee we'll get our hands-on the new BD8002 at CES next Wednesday. This players seems it may be one of best players ever considering it includes everything we can think of -- as it should with a MSRP of $2,099.99. At the top of the list is the players ability to decode just about every new audio codec out there including Dolby TrueHD and DTS-HD MA, and output it via 7.1 analog outs or uncompressed via HDMI. The icing on the cake is the inclusion of the 10-bit Silicon Optix Realta video processor, which should help make it the best Profile 1.1 player yet when it's released the second quarter of 2008.
Mitsubishi's LVP-HC6000 3LCD projector throws 1080p at 19dB
Today Mitsubishi took some time to out their latest 1080p home theater projector by the name of LVP-HC6000. The followup to their LVP-HC5000 opts for a trio of 0.74-inch LCDs from Epson and 160W UHE lamp to up the dynamic contrast to 12,000:1 while the throttling back the brightness a tad to 800 lumens under a quiet 19dB operational whir. The DVI input is gone in favor of a pair of 1080/60p/24p HDMI terminals, composite, D-Sub15 RGB, and S-Video inputs. Video processing then, is handled by a 10-bit Reon-VX processor from Silicon Optix. Expected to hit Japan for ¥350,000 (about $3,040) on September 25th. Peep a shot of the lens side forward after the break -- we think you'll forgive us for not running it as the headline shot.[Via Impress]
Denon's first Blu-ray player stuns with features and $2k pricetag
Denon has announced its first real Blu-ray player, with an appropriate assortment of never-before-seen features and price tag to match. The DVD-3800BDCI will launch this fall as the first high definition player to include Silicon Optix's 10-bit Realta HQV video processor, recently seen in Syntax-Brillian's $10k LCD and the big brother to the Toshiba HD-XA2's Reon. The first Profile 1.1 Blu-ray player we've seen, it supports separate picture-in-picture audio and video streams. Unfortunately, $1,999 isn't enough to provide an Ethernet port, so any online content will need to be downloaded on a PC and sneakernetted to the player via SD card. Finally, internal decoding for all Blu-ray surround sound formats is included, and it's the first player with an HDMI 1.3a output, providing enough bandwidth to pass sound natively to a receiver for decoding. Announced but unfortunately unpriced for $1,199 is the DVD-2500BTCI Blu-ray Transport, dropping the advanced audio and video processing for those with their own receivers and scalers. Coming from a company that sells a $3,800 DVD player, the price isn't too surprising, but we hope there are cheaper (& network-enabled) new Blu-ray options forthcoming.Read - TWICERead - Beyond3DRead - CraveRead - Press Release
Syntax-Brillian goes big with 65-inch 1080p Olevia 665i LCD
Syntax-Brillian is showing off its first HDTV above 50-inches in the U.S. at Infocomm this week, the 65-inch, 1080p Olevia 665i. This LCD is aimed at the pro AV and high end home theater market, and is the first "large area display" to include the Silicon Optix Realta HQV scaler. That, along with Olevia's Big Picture technology to reduce overscan should ensure you get every pixel expected from HD and non-HD sources. Also included for the $9,999 MSRP are two sets each of HDMI and component inputs, RS232 control, removable speakers, and optional wall mount. No word on what, if any, tuners are a part of the package, but we're sure the FCC will be taking a look before this HDTV goes on sale in October.
Silicon Optix releases HQV test discs for Blu-ray & HD DVD
Silicon Optix has finally released their HQV test disc for HD DVD and Blu-ray players -- the one that showed how much resolution many HDTVs aren't displaying -- to consumers. Unlike the Digital Video Essentials HD DVD released earlier this year, calibration is not what this tool is designed for, it's mastered in 1080i/60 to test the deinterlacing capabilities of your setup, and reveal if picture quality is being lost by the player, scaler or display during upconversion to 1080p. Five tests for HD Noise Reduction, video and film resolution loss, and "jaggies" let you know if your equipment is actually making the low-res content you view worse. Thanks to the included testing scorecard, even an HD novice will soon be obsessing over waving flag animations on AVS Forum with the best of them.Update: And if the $20 price tag is a bit rich for your blood (you know, after shelling out for the 1080p HDTV, Blu-ray or HD DVD player and assorted cabling), take $5 off thanks to the guys at AVS Forum.
Silicon Optix Reon-VX powers 1080p in Toshiba's HD-XA2 HD DVD player
While Toshiba's latest HD DVD player, the HD-XA2, should finally be shipping today, Silicon Optix has dropped more details on its Reon-VX chip that enables 1080p output. As mentioned previously, instead of outputting 1080i, the HQV chip deinterlaces the 1080i signal within the player itself using per-pixel motion-adaptive deinterlacing to ensure that what gets to the screen is free of jaggies and artifacting. A digital 1080i signal to a 1080p display should be able to be deinterlaced within the TV with no loss of picture quality, but since not all TVs are capable of the task without losing some visual information in the process, this solution should provide the highest, most consistent picture quality available. This same deinterlacing technology -- combined with the enhanced 297MHz video DAC and additional picture quality settings -- is used to enhance SD material, such as SD extras and regular DVDs. All this sounds great in theory, but we have to get the actual hardware in our hands to see if it stands up to the 1080p24 capable Sony BDP-S1 and Pioneer BDP-HD1.
Are you getting all the HDTV resolution you paid for?
Not necessarily, given the results of Home Theater Mag's recent tests of 61 HDTVs. Using test patterns from a Silicon Optix HQV HD DVD, they tested deinterlacing, 3:2 detection and for the 1080p sets, bandwidth. Unfortunately, just over 54% of the HDTVs failed the deinterlacing test, 80% failed the 3:2 test, but the 1080p sets passed the bandwidth test, despite all but one (Pioneer Elite PRO-FHD1) losing some detail. If a HDTV doesn't pass these tests, then you're losing at least some visual information from a 1080i signal. Some televisions throw away half the horizontal lines, which results in a fail on the deinterlacing test, or don't perform inverse telecine on moving images appropriately, failing the 3:2 test. Of course, contrast ratio, refresh rate and black levels still contribute to overall picture quality, but you should take a look at their results to make sure you're getting every pixel you expected from your new HDTV.[Thanks, Ryan]
