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Sony closing tube plant in San Diego
The flat panel business is booming and some people are going to be left out of the party. Sony is closing a 30 year old CRT plant in light of sagging sales. Sony still plans on employing 2,000 people at their headquarters, also located in San Diego, but 400 people will lose their jobs that work in the factory. This is the second US plant that Sony is going to close. In October, they announced that they were going to close their CRT plant near Pittsburgh, Penn. eliminating 275 jobs.
SED TV demo in Flash
If you want to experience the SED demo that the Canon folks presented at CES, we found a Flash video of the six-minute presentation to help you out. We saw the Canon demo live, as well as Toshiba's, and were completely blown away; we can't promise you'll feel the same as there's no way to truly capture the color, contrast, brightness, detail and fluidity of the real thing. This is probably the next best thing to being in the Canon SED booth and if you get the chance to see the demo in person, this will give you something to compare.View (Flash video) via HDtv Help
Old school HDTV commercials from Japan
Check these out! Two Panasonic commercials that were aired during the '92 Olympics. Best part though is they star George Lucas and his storm troopers! The Panasonic TVs are widescreen and look like current TVs. It is to bad that George's (we are on a first name basis) speech is dubbed Japanese 'cause it would be great to hear what he is saying about the HDTVs.Japan has been broadcasting HDTV signals since the early nineties when these commercials first aired. They were analog but still carried 1035 lines of resolution. (1035i)[via Digg]
HD Beat meets HT Guys at CES!
Of all the crazy, improbable things. Would you believe that out of approximately 150,000 attendees at CES last week, I had the HT Guys walk up to me? Yup, Ara Derderian and Braden Russell were on their way to lunch and literally bumped into me and introduced themselves! What a treat after just being on their podcast as a guest to discuss our HDTV over WiFi experimentation. Ara and Braden discuss the brief meet up, plus they provide additional thoughts on the high-def gear from CES in their latest show. I personally thought SED technology was the best high-def tech at CES and not that the HT Guys disagreed, but we do differ on whether we'll wait for SED or buy something else sooner. Check out my thoughts and theirs in the show.
HDTV ambiguity from Business Week
Oh Business Week, we're sure you meant well, but it's vague comments like these from Stephen H. Wildstrom that continue to confuse the analog public: "A 30-in. digital CRT with a digital tuner will probably set you back about $650, and that doesn't get you true high definition. HD costs around $1,000 for a 30-in. CRT and upwards of $1,500 for a 32-in. flat-panel."Maybe it's just us, and if it is, we know you'll chime in and set us straight. How exactly does a 30-inch digital CRT with a digital tuner not get you true high definition? If by "true" high-def BW means 1080p, that's a little weak and definitely confusing to folks that are still getting used to terms like 720p and 1080i. We've pointed out numerous CRTs that are under the $650 price range BW mentions and yet, they still get you HDTV. Great intention BW, but ambiguous execution.
Congratulations, you don't have an HDTV. Here's your cookie
I read an interesting piece on Bit-tech today, in it the author goes to great length to tell the world how well off he is without an HDTV and how he doesn't really need one even for the Xbox 360 that he doesn't have yet. Why buy an HDTV?, there's hardly any programming and the games look just fine on the TV he proudly bought 6 years ago.First, there are several things I agree with him on. There has been much misinformation spread about how HDTV works, whether or not you'll see a benefit to your next generation games without an HDTV, etc. Anyone who tells you they can't tell the difference between Xbox and Xbox 360 games no matter what the TV, is blind or simply trying to attract attention. Comparing screenshots of ports is only relevant if you are planning on buying your next gen console to play last gen games. Also, there is somewhat limited HDTV programming available, especially in England where the writer appears to be from, which besides being overrun by wolves is also only just recently starting to have HD broadcasts become available.With all that, you might start to think, why should I buy an HDTV? Here's why.
Reader question: 720p on 1080i set
In our "Truth in Advertising" post some time back, we discussed HD resolutions and our desire for mandatory labeling of display resolutions. HD Beat reader Mark recently commented with a question regarding 720p signals on a set that doesn't natively display 720p."I'm going to buy an hdtv and am considering the Panasonic CT-34WX15 TAU. (crt)It supports HDTV @ 1080i and EDTV @ 480p. My question is what happens when I view a resolution at 720p? Is this set going to display it properly? Also, the Panasonic DVD-S77 player puts out 1080i and 720p. Where is the 720p on the T.V.?"I actually own the same basic Tau series CRT, but this question can be applied to any set that doesn't natively display a 720p signal.
2006 is not going to be good for RPTV and CRTs
This coming year is not going to be nice to many peoples favorite HDTVs. Rear projection sets (i.e. CRT based, DLP, LCD, and LCoS) shipments are going to fall a whopping 15%. This number is derived from the huge decrease in CRT demand; no one wants them anymore. 2005 was a good year for microdisplays though with Sony and Samsung leading the way. Microdisplays such as DLP and LCoS will continue to grow and pass CRT projections for the first time but I believe that the writing is on the wall that they too will eventually be outpaced by another trend in TVs: flat panels. Admit it: you want a flat panel TV. Maybe not a plasma or a LCD but at least a SED. Flat panel TVs are just so cool and if you can get one that has the picture quality of a tube at the price of a DLP then you would get one. Right?
The hidden cost of plasmas
Lets see here. The advantages of plasmas: great colors, good price and long life. Disadvantages: potential of burn-in, big ones cost a lot and high power consumption. Burn-in can be avoided and get a better job if you want the bigger sets. *joke* Power consumption of plasmas can be more then you think and with the rising costs of energy, it is something to think about. CNET ran some tests and charted out the power consumption of all TVs. A scan over the data does not reveal anything surprising. LCDs have the lowest power consumption and plasmas are the worst. Just like we posted a few weeks back, Panasonic's plasmas are the best in their class. LCD and DLP based rear projections tend to offer the consumer a good balance of size verse power however. They have 20 of the industry's top TVs all charted here. It is worth a look if you are looking for a new HDTV. Personally, I don't think I would make it a deciding factor but it is something to think about.
CRT production to cease in Taiwan
We weren't invited to the going away party, but it appears that CRTs are saying "sayonara" to Taiwan. All of the major CRT manufacturers, some you know and some you don't, are shutting down or moving production elsewhere. Taiwan Kolin Co., Proton Electronic Industrial Co., Sampo Corp., and Teco Electric & Machinery Co. have all decided to pull up stakes.Proton will keep their 29-inch production line going but is closing down all other sizes, including the 34-inch line, within the next six months. Most of the other companies are heading to greener pastures in the LCD market since 100,000 LCD units are expected to ship from Taiwan next year. We're expecting to see more of these "bon voyage" excursions from the folks that are still building CRTs. Not that we're manufacturing experts, but are any of these companies considering an SED retrofit of their CRT lines? The technology isn't that much different.Read
12 Days of Christmas: Day 6
Dashing through the snow. In a one horse open sleigh. Over the hills we go...laughing all the way.Ahh, the old days. Do you remember when all you had to do to watch TV was plug in an antenna? They are back once again. So far this week we have talked about getting HDTV through satellite and using an antenna to pull in those signals. But what if your HDTV is missing that ATSC (digital) tuner? Well, there are some great HDTV receivers out there that will allow you to pull in a great, clean signal.A few months ago Radio Shack was having a clearance sale and marked down a HDTV receiver with HDMI output to $90. I know, $90 is cheap for one of these. It turns out that they still sell it. It apparently is a great tuner and the uber-HDTV-heads over at AVS Forums have a lot of info on it. This would be a great gift for anyone on your list, or just to pick up. In fact, I plan on getting on for my mother that has an analog 27-inch curved screen Panasonic paired with a roof top antenna. Why you ask? Most, if not all, HDTV receivers will take the digital signal and scale it to what ever your TV can handle. So in my mother’s case, it will put the signal at a 480i digital signal. So while it is not HD resolution, it will look night and day different with no snow or color distortion. They will look as good as DVDs.
CRT's: Back again for the first time
Just as we were mentioning that the CRT isn't dead yet, STMicroelectronics announced Friday that their new chip technology, the HD1, will allow for slimmer, cheaper television sets in bigger sizes. The long and the short of what this piece does is improved power management horizontal deflection cells. Check out STM's product page for more specific information, but for those us without an EE degree I think space and money saving is all the technical jargon necessary.
HDTV in mainstream media: NYT gets it wrong, St. Paul Pioneer Press gets it right
One day, two newspaper articles about high definition TV. Unfortunately, while reading this New York Times article, it immediately jumped out at me that they were playing into the common misperception that tube televisions are not high definition, and flat panel displays are."That means you should ignore any unit that says EDTV, standard definition or flat- tube TV. It's old technology." = OH NO YOU DIDN'T.Now where did I put that soap box, because I have some street corner sermonizing to do.
HDTV for Chistmas on a budget
If you don't have an HDTV set yet, do you need to spend upwards of $3,000 to $5,000 to get one this holiday season? Not necessarily, although you will give up some features, functions and (dare I say it?) the name brand of a high-end set. I took a look through the coming Sunday advertisements this morning, as I do every Saturday morning, and noticed that there are options for everyone these days.My intent here isn't to point out specific sets or specific retailers for you to rush out to. No, the point here is to illustrate that you can spend under $1,000 or even under $500 for that first HDTV set this holiday season. It wasn't but a few years ago when you could spend $500 on an analog 27-inch television! Click the jump for some examples of how you can enter the world of HDTV and get your feet wet without breaking the bank!
HDTV Buying Guide: Adding better sound
High definition is a great advancement in broadcast technology. It gives us that beautiful picture but moreover, a lot better sound. The high-def TV is just the beginning if you want the full experience that high definition offers. Most TVs do not have the ability to give you the digital sound that is carried by HD.HD Beat has guided you through the buying process by starting with the size and moving on to the type. From there we gave you a special Xbox 360 edition and last week extended warranties were covered. This edition will help you find the right type of sound system that works in your home and within your budget. Sound systems can be slipper slopes. Once you start adding options and quality, it is hard to stop. But we can curb that by breaking it down to three different types of experiences. One, just by adding a simple subwoofer or two speakers is not going to give you the digital experience HD carries, but it will give you a lot better sound then the TV can produce alone. Second, home theater-in-a-box systems are often the cheapest way to add surround sound but can lack necessary options to maximize the digital sound. Third, separate components will give the consumer the best sound possible, but it can be daunting to purchase and use. [all options explained after jump]
Matsushita says good-bye to CRTs
Matsushita, the parent company of both Panasonic and JVC, announced that they're shutting down CRT manufacturing in Europe and the United States. Plants in both areas will cease production by March of 2006 and effectively make Matsushita a microdisplay and flat-panel only player.I have to admit that I'm disappointed for sentimental reasons. My first HDTV set, which is still our primary set, is a 34-inch widescreen CRT from Panasonic's T[tau] series. We just celebrated the Panny's fourth birthday last month and he's growing up so fast. I'm also a little surprised that Matsushita hasn't taken the Samsung approach with slimmer-CRT development since the CRT sets have been solid performers.
What kind of deals are you seeing/expecting this holiday season?
Anyone camping out Black Friday for the pleasure of beating down a soccer mom for the right to buy a discounted HDTV? Tell us where, I'll come watch, commentate and score each round if I can pull myself away from the Xbox 360 long enough.A friend of mine asked about HDTV's, and while looking for prices I found Philips is offering refurbished 30" widescreen CRT TV's for $399 shipped (LCD's for $799), the black bars on my 4x3 TV during 1080i gaming are getting to me so that may be a solution, anyone seen anything better?
Are online retailers better then brick and mortar stores?
ABC News ran a story the other night about how many consumers are turning to online retailers for their electronics. Consumer Reports conducted a survey in which they pitted stores against each other in terms of their customer service, selection, and price. But they threw in online retailers. The online retailers came out on top with Crutchfield, J&R.com, & Amazon leading the way.But my question to you though is would you buy, or have you bought, an HDTV online? Do you think the technology has matured enough that you do not need a physical location for support if anything goes wrong. What if you are only saving a few dollars after shipping is weighed into it?Personally, I do not think that I would order on online. I am the type of person that if anything goes wrong I would like to have someone to talk to. That's just me though.
Ask HDBeat: poor analog signals
Jake wrote us a note asking us to clarify something in our HDTV Buying Guide: Choosing the right kind. He is wondering what we meant by "Poor non-digital signal" and "O.K. digital signals" when referring to Cons of a LCD/DLP rear-projection. Well Jake, I hope I can clear this up for you.I am assuming that you have never owned a big screen before so lets start there. Many people (including myself) have never purchased a big screen because picture quality has always outweighed in importance over the screen size. The same thing can be said here as well. The rear-projection DLP/LCD sets you are looking at are big, sometimes very big. That basic cable (non-digital) signal that some people still have produces a lot of noise that is more evident in a larger screen. The 480i (basic cable and satellite) signal was never designed to look pretty on a big widescreen set. That is why HD is so important.Size is a simply solution Jake but there is more to it. The tube TVs that make cable look, dare I say, good are the only type of displays that can support both interlaced and progressive scan. They can natively support a 480i (cable and satellite) picture. Here is the kicker, most digital displays do not support that same interlaced picture without some work. They take interlaced picture and convert it into a progressive-scan image by artificially producing the extra data. This process creates a lot of digital artifacts making the cable and satellite pictures look "just O.K." Seeing is believing so take a trip down to a local electronics store and ask them to show you the difference. You will see what I mean.Feel free to drop us a question and we will do our best in answering it for you.
SED wins "Best of What's New 2005"
All of us here at HD Beat are excited about SED displays and apparently Popular Science is as well. They have awarded the Canon/Toshiba technology with the Best of What’s New 2005 award. PopSci takes the best of the best new products each year and breaks them down into the different genres of science to reward the true innovators. I think all of us would agree that SEDs are an innovative and evolutionary product.SED is an amazing spin on older technology. Everyone knows that tubes produce the best colors with the deepest blacks while having no issues with motion, but they offer a very small screen size in relation to heavy cabinets. SED takes the same process and turns it into a flat panel display. You can except displays in the 50-inch range that support 1080p during the first quarter of 2006.We believe that this award did go to the right product as we can't think of a more innovative display technology this year then SED. Seriously, was there anything else this year in televisions that would warrant an award over SED?
