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Westinghouse adds to Digital Photo Frame series
Out of the flurry of digital picture frames you've seen here, you may remember Westinghouse's DPF-0701 from last summer -- we definitely noticed some improvements in the 4 new units they've added to their Digital Photo Frame line. The new frames are the 7-inch DPF-0702 at $119, the 8-inch DPF-0802 with an 800 x 600 resolution at $179, the 10.2-inch DPF-1021 with an 800 x 480 resolution at $249, and the 14.1-inch DPF-1411 at $399. All four models have two USB ports for file transfers, 128MB of built-in memory, and are compatible with CF I and II, MD, MS, Pro, MS Duo, MS Pro Duo, SD, MMC, and XD memory cards. They all support JPEG, AVI Motion JPEG, MPEG-1 and MPEG-4, and use MosaicView technology that now features slideshows with variable transitions and speeds in addition to its initial mosaic function. If you want one, feel free to hold your breath, since Westinghouse's new litter of DPFs should ship sometime this month.
Westinghouse and the blinking PS3: HDCP gone awry?
Some PlayStation 3 users who play on Westinghouse 1080p screens might have noticed a blinking problem when loading up their games, wherein no sound comes up and the screen's imagery blinks off and on. Popular Mechanics has been following the story and trying to deduce the culprit of this problem.The blinking phenomenon stems from High-Bandwidth Digital Copy Protection, or HDCP, a form of DRM for signals that run through HDMI cables. Initially, Westinghouse VP of Marketing Rey Roque explained that the issue was firmware within some of their television sets but has now retracted that assertion, placing the blinking blame on the PlayStation 3 itself. Roque notes, "Westinghouse products are fully compliant with the HDMI and HDCP specs." Westinghouse and Sony reportedly met yesterday to discuss the issue, but Popular Mechanics went ahead and offered a quick-and-dirty fix to the problem: simply unplug HDMI cable, wait a few seconds, and plug it back in. Video of the phenomenon and its quick fix is embedded after the break.[Via /.]
Westinghouse Quad HD on display
In the all hype that built up before CES this year we were really excited to check out the Quad HD display from Westinghouse. We went by the Westinghouse booth to check it out, the odd thing was the display was in the back of the booth and not marked very well. After receiving some help we found the display with some scientific data showing. Other than industrial uses we're not sure what we would use this 52" display with a resolution of 3840 x 2160. It would take one good scaler to scale the image that big.
Westinghouse launches five digital picture frames
If there's one piece of technology which can unify geeks and non-geeks alike, it's digital picture frames. Westinghouse wants to get into the game as well, with its five new frames that range from the DPF-0562 5.6-inch model ($100) to the DPF-1411 14.1-inch model ($400), the latter of which sports a 16:9 aspect ratio. Like many of its competitors, Westinghouse's include a base amount of storage (128MB), but offer compatibility with most of the standard card formats including CF, SD, MMC and xD. Don't have a flash card? Really? There's a pair of USB ports as well for your data transferring pleasure. Either way, expect to see these hit stores sometime after March of this year.
Westinghouse kicks out five new LCD monitors
We guess good things come in fives for Westinghouse, as the firm has announced five new LCD monitors atop its five new digiframes and LCD HDTVs we caught earlier today. Ranging from 19- to 24-inches in size, all of these displays feature an "AllGlass" design that minimizes bezel and maximizes screen, and HD-Grade / DayBright panels that ensure "stunning daytime or nighttime viewing." The 19-inch L1928NV ($319) kicks off the low-end by rocking a 4:3 aspect ratio, 5-millisecond response time, 1,280 x 1,024 resolution, 650:1 contrast ratio, and DVI / VGA inputs. The widescreen flavor, dubbed L1975NW ($299), ups the resolution to 1,440 x 900, sports a 16:10 aspect ratio, 700:1 contrast ratio, and otherwise mimics its non-wide brethren. Taking care of the mid-range is the 20-inch L2046NV ($349), which touts a 1,400 x 1,050 resolution but shares its other specs with the L1928NV. The 22-inch LCM-22w3 ($449) provides a 1,680 x 1,050 resolution, 5-millisecond response time, and a HDCP-compliant DVI port to boot. Closing it out is the 24-inch L2410NM ($699), which offers up a 1,920 x 1,200 resolution, 700:1 contrast ratio, 5-millisecond response time, and an HDCP-compliant HDMI port. While the big fella will be available later this month, the smaller four won't hit shelves until March, but there's plenty of other options out there if you're in a hurry.
Westinghouse announces 2007 LCD HDTV lineup
Westinghouse is rolling out new HDTVs in all sizes and resolutions at CES, starting with its new line of 1080p LCDs, the TX series. The latest 1080p panels from the company, all with native 1080p input via all connectors and advanced calibration settings. The 42- and 47-inch will ship in May with MSRP of $1,999 and $2,499 respectively, while the 52-inch follows in May, price TBA. Next is the SK series, with 720p LCDs available in 32- and 42-inch models shipping in May for $899 and $1,599, in addition to a 26- and 32-inch pair with DVD players integrated into them. The DVD playing models will be available in April at $799 for the 26-inch and $999 for the 32. The company is also debuting three smaller HDTVs, with two 26-inch models designed to replace customer's existing CRTs that retail for $699 and a 19-inch for $449. Westinghouse is facing steep competition on price from competitors like Vizio now, we just hope they don't pull a Sony and start complaining about prices. The 56-inch quad HDTV will also be at the booth, we plan on counting each of the pixels to make sure its 8 megapixel-plus resoltion is authentic. Read - Westinghouse TX Read - Westinghouse SK Read - Westinghouse SK w/ DVD Read - Westinghouse SK 26-inch Read - Westinghouse SK 19-inch
Monster quad-HD LCD from Westinghouse to demo at CES
Continuing to roll with the 1080p bandwagon, Westinghouse has announced plans to show off the new year's product line of 1080p-capable LCD sets at CES, with a 52-incher as the flagship model. Also to be displayed is a 56-inch LCD with 3840 x 2160 resolution -- a full four times high-definition -- that is most likely intended for medical imaging or videoconferencing use. Imagine taking four 23-inch Apple Cinema displays and somehow attaching them together and that's what you'd get in this prototype. Move over 103-inch plasmas, you're so 2006![update: fixed apple display size]
Still no discernable difference between 1080i and 1080p?
Although HomeTheaterMag has already told us that there's no (discernable) difference between 1080i and 1080p, it's quite understandable to still be skeptical when television manufacturers are screaming otherwise and touting 1080p as the new "must have" feature. In the latest battle between the two outputs, eagle-eyed testers at CNET compared the 1080p output from the Blu-ray version of the hot-selling M:I III film on five different displays. With monitors sporting resolutions ranging from 1,024 x 768 to 1,366 x 768 to 1,920 x 1,080, the conclusions were unsurprisingly similar to various other studies. Essentially, reviewers stated that in a vast majority of the scenes, the "level of detail was virtually identical" across the higher resolution sets, and that even the (relatively) low resolution Philips 42PF9631D plasma showed imagery "difficult to discern" from more elite monitors. Overall, testers felt that native 1080p rendered "slightly more detail in near background images in scenes with long depths of field," but was otherwise not really "necessary," and recommended that prospective buyers save their cash for the time being rather than buying in (literally) to the 1080p hype right now.
CMO jumping into 52-inch 1080p LCD market, QuadHD delayed
Just because they don't have a shiny new 8G plant yet isn't stopping CMO from getting in on the 52-inch 1080p LCD battle. HDTVs from Sharp, Samsung and Sony are already on sale or coming soon, and Chi Mei Optoelectronics, plans to join them in the first quarter of 2007. While you may not know the name, their panels are in many HDTVs you do know like Westinghouse and Toshiba. They'll be showing their 52-inch LCD next month at FPD International 2006 in Japan, and plan to upgrade production to 180,000 glass substrates by December. Their current 5.5G plant can only get two 52-inch LCDs from each substrate however, while the newer plants produce six at a time. Either way, next year will have a lot of players competing in the 40 to 50-inch LCD space driving prices down, we see what they've been able to do at the 47-inch tier. It's not all good news though, CMO may be having trouble mass producing the 56-inch 3,840×2,160 resolution LCD they showed off last year. With four times as many pixels as current 1080p screens, they promise all new debates over how much resolution is actually necessary...whenever the technology is actually released.
Samsung's new 22-inch widescreen LCD
So we're not sure if this is the same Vista-focused product that the company was supposedly working on with Microsoft, but Samsung has just revealed a new 22-inch widescreen LCD known as the CX223B/W that should go nicely with the upcoming OS. Available in black or silver, this monitor features a pretty decent 1,680 x 1,050 resolution, 5-millisecond response time, and most importantly for HD fans, an HDCP-enabled DVI port (though HDMI seems to be missing). The lack of info on other important specs such as contrast or brightness makes us think that the display is not scheduled for an impending release, a notion that's only further supported by the lack of any pricing details. If you can't wait for the CX223BW to start shipping in the US, there's always that LCM-22w2 from Westinghouse to keep you occupied for the time being, and both Dell and LG are expected to drop new 22-inch models in the near future as well.
Westinghouse DPF-0701 shows multiple shots per frame
You think hanging 8 x 10s on the wall is old school? Well, it looks like the standard fare of digital picture frames are getting refreshed too. Westinghouse has a new digiframe on the horizon that displays multiple digital photos in varying orientations. The DPF-0701 rocks a 7-inch 16:9 widescreen display housed in a strikingly large ebony bezel and includes an admittedly lacking 16MB of internal storage. Since you probably won't fit all your memories on that (right?), the frame supports USB thumb drives and a myriad of card formats including CF, SD, MMC, XD, MS Pro, and MS Duo. You can get your snapshot shuffle on when it drops later this month for $199. [Via MacWorld]
Westinghouse goes 22-inch with new LCD
Speak of the devil. We were just chatting up the incoming wave of 22-inch LCDs, and here's Westinghouse with their very own display of the Vista-friendly variety. The LCM-22w2 runs at 1680 x 1050, has a 5ms response time, 300 nits of brightness and a 700:1 contrast ratio. It's a 16:10 widescreen display, but we're not sure about the inputs -- we're guessing DVI and VGA. The 22w2 should be available now for $500.Update: As noted in comments (thanks Mike), and confirmed by Westinghouse, there's DVI, VGA and plenty more.
Engadget: Top five HDTVs
Engadget's weekly column, The Clicker, ran a topic that might be of interest to most of you. They have taken some of the pain out of shopping for a new HDTV. They have five very good HDTVs and provided a good explanation of why they are special and what makes them better then others. Plus, to make it a bit more fun, Engadget style, they have put a celebrity to each HDTV. For example. The Westinghouse LVM-42W2 is number five on their list because of its great value and name. In other words, it is rail thin, cheap and comes with a former high-end name- like Paris Hilton. See, now isn't that fun.Bet you can't guess who goes with #1. (hint: the HDTV is a high-end projector)
Westinghouse drops 47-inch 1080p LCD
It's not quite as sexy as that 56-inch 3840 x 2160 LCD they were showing at CES this year, but Westinghouse's new LVM-47w1 47-inch 1080p LCD should make many a World Cup fan or budget home theater enthusiast very happy this summer. The display has a whole bunch of inputs: HDMI, two DVI w/HDCP, VGA and dual component, and features a 6.5ms refresh rate and 1200:1 contrast ration. Apparently the Westinghouse backlighting isn't stellar, so you might be sacrificing a bit of color, but you really can't beat the $3,000 price tag. No word on when this will be dropping, but we sure wouldn't mind it before Friday's kickoff.[Via HD Beat]
Westinghouse LVM-47w1 47-inch 1080p LCD for less than $3k
After being up on their website for a while, Westinghouse has finally officially announced the 47-inch addition to their line of 1080p LCD panels, the LVM-47w1. They have long been one of the few 1080p sets to include support for true 1920x1080 input. The set has 6 HD inputs (1 HDMI, 2 DVI w/HDCP, 1 VGA and 2 Component) a nice 6.5ms refresh rate and 1200:1 contrast ratio. One of the few knocks on the Westy line remains, with only 75% of the NTSC color gamut available, as opposed to 90% from other backlighting technologies. All the same if that isn't a problem, the estimated price comes in at an entirely reasonable $2,999, no release date yet.
James "father of the LCD" Fergason gets $500K award, defends patent-holders
You may not know who James Fergason is, but chances are you're reading these words on a screen that he helped to create. In the 1960s, while working at Westinghouse, Fergason developed many of the core technologies used in the production of LCD displays. In honor of his pioneering work, Fergason was just awarded the $500,000 MIT-Lemelson prize, an annual award for inventors. Fergason plans on donating the prize money to independent inventors, who he believes get the short end of the stick when dealing with large corporations. "I think that what they want to do is get something for nothing," he said." After working at Westinghouse, Fergason started his own business to commercialize LCD technologies, and helped create the first LCD watches, and today -- not surprisingly -- manages a company that licenses his patents to manufacturers.
Audioholics review: Westinghouse LVM-42X2 LCD Review
Oh boy. 1080p out of a 42-inch LCD! The holy grail for many, many HD fanatics. Audioholics has taken this new HDTV and ran the TV through the paces to see if it stands up to its potential. They did a very thorough review, as always, with tons of screen caps and pictures. Are we abet Impatient though? Well, not to steal their thunder or nothing, but they loved the set. The picture quality was great but lacked many setup features. They ended up giving the $2799 LCD a 4.5 out of 5 which is higher then we thought a Westinghouse would get. Expecally when talking about picture quality.
Westinghouse introduces "SpineDesign" on new LCD HDTV's
Westinghouse's brand new 32" and 27" screens feature more than 1366x768 resolution, integrated NTSC and ATSC tuners and 10-bit processing which they say provides a much better picture. They are also the first monitors to feature their SpineDesign™, with all cable connections moved to the side of the television for easy connection. They also say this shortens the distance from the video source to the panel, improving picture quality.This new tech doesn't seem too different from what other LCD manufacturers have done recently, Gateway's 21" screen comes to mind.