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december posts

Toshiba details CELL REGZA LCD TV, coming December to Japan (update: video!)

It's a day before CEATEC officially kicks off, but Toshiba's getting a head start on the news, dishing out all the deets on its Cell-powered CELL REGZ LCD TV, now officially due out in Japan in early December. The 55-inch, 240Hz display boasts a mighty impressive 5,000,000:1 contrast ratio, self-congruency technology for improved picture detail on the edges, a peak luminance of 1250cd/m², and LED backlits dividing the screen into 512 distinct areas. A 7-speaker sound bar lies just below the display. Want more? How about eight-window simultaneous multi-display, an Opera-based web browser, DLNA, and a 3TB hard disk drive, 2TB for "time-shift" recording recording up to 26 hours of programs, up to eight channels simultaneously. There's a sizable box on display, too, which seems to be where the Cell hardware is being housed. Curious about price? So are we, but there's nothing being said.

If that's not forward-thinking enough, Toshi's also outlining its future concepts, dubbed CELL REGZA NEXT. Those four include a 3D set, a 4K2K version that upcoverts 1080p to 3840 x 2160 resolution, a 46-inch model integrating its CELL BOX dedicated TV tuner and HDD, and a 37-inch that works as a home network server. It looks like we'll be getting some hands-on time with the 55X1 shortly, but in the meantime, one more pic after the break.

HD DVD set for December Australian launch

Toshiba has announced HD DVD standalone players will finally be available down under starting in December. Australia will receive the lower end second generation player announced for Europe, the HD-E1 while the HD-XE1 is expected in February. They'll be paying a pretty significant premium, with the HD-E1 starting at $1,099 AUD ($845 US), compared to the $499 HD-A2 player coming soon to the U.S. The HD-XE1 will run $1,599 ($1,230 US) for 1080p HDMI 1.3-enhanced playback. Blu-ray players and movies are supposedly already on the ground in Australia, a reversal of the rest of the world where HD DVD has beaten its competitor to market. We couldn't actually find the Samsung player for sale anywhere or an Australian price, but the Panasonic DMP-BD10 is listed on its Australian site for a mere $2,749 AUD. Ouch.

Sony's BDP-S1 Blu-ray player delayed again...again

The last time SonyStyle pushed back the anticipated ship date of the BDP-S1 standalone Blu-ray player, we jokingly suggested it might end up being pushed beyond the (at that point) already delayed-until-November PlayStation 3. Apparently the joke is on anyone still waiting for this box; while the $999 price hasn't changed, it is now expected to ship "on or about December 4, 2006". In light of the previous July, August, and October prognostications, the Playstation 3 shortage, battery fiasco, and even a just-announced delay of the LF-Box1 LocationFree TV streamer, Sony's manufacturing prowess seems to be slipping. Some customers who contacted Sony have reported that those who have already ordered the BDP-S1 might receive shipments before December, but these days you can't really take anything for granted.


[Via AVS Forum]




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