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Hands-on with Hitachi's 1.5-inch thick plasma prototype


Hitachi's 1.5-inch thick 50-inch plasma wasn't exactly front and center like we had imagined, but it was there garnering stares nonetheless. Donning a glossy white finish and displaying nothing but floral arrangements, the set looked pretty good (though not great) in terms of visual quality. The design, however, was simply stunning. And just as promised, we did include the obligatory iPhone comparison, though you'll have to account for the Belkin skin when drawing your conclusions. Give it a peek in the gallery below.

Hitachi delivering UltraThin 1.5-inch thick 50-inch plasma


Hitachi's "UltraThin" line of TVs might not be the skinniest on the block anymore, but a new top of the line 50-inch plasma (CES prototype pictured above) keeps the size crown in their camp. Expect the Thin is In tagline to be a centerpiece for Hitachi's booth at CEDIA, we'll try to get some specs and in person pics (including the ubiquitous iPhone comparo) when we stop by later.

Hitachi reveals Blu-ray / HDD / SDHC DZ-BD10HA high-def camcorder


Far from being the first Blu-ray hybrid camcorder from Hitachi, the DZ-BD10HA ups the ante even further by tossing in a third format. Yep, this Full HD (1,920 x 1,080) camcorder can record to BD, SDHC or the 30GB hard drive. Additionally, you'll find a 7-megapixel CMOS sensor, push-of-a-button dubbing from HDD / SDHC to Blu-ray, a host of editing functions, a transcoding feature to transfer HD videos to vanilla DVDs, face detection and optical image stabilization for good measure. The pain? $1,099 when it lands in North America next month.

Hitachi rolls out 47-inch Wooo UT models in Japan

Hitachi Wooo UT47-XP770 and UT47-XV700
Expect to see these new 47-inch Wooo LCD varietals outside of Japan sometime, but for now these are Japan-only. Up for grabs are the UT47-XP770 and UT47-XV700 models, with nary a difference in the panels themselves. Sure, the XP770 model comes in black or white trim, but what really sets the models apart is the 250GB HD DVR included in the XP770 tuner module. For now, at least, Hitachi is sticking with the iVDR media format for both the XP770 and XV700 models. All around, a pretty boring spec bump in the series whose name is supposed to illicit excitement. The specs that you loved in the Wooo lineup before haven't changed: 35-mm svelte profile, 1920 x 1080 pixel count and Wooonet connectivity. The UT47-XP770 will go for ¥480,000 ($4,400), but we couldn't find pricing on the UT47-XV700 model.

Hitachi's new DZ-BD10H camcorder pairs Blu-ray with a 30GB HDD


We're not saying it can't be done, but you should have some considerable trouble managing to run out of room for your expertly-shot, highly-narrative vacation antics with Hitachi's new DZ-BD10H camcorder, which records 1080p HD video to Blu-ray discs or to its built-in 30GB hard drive. There's even an SD slot, which we aren't positive you can record video to, but it's a fair guess. Other specs include a 2.7-inch LCD and a 10x optical zoom. Price should be around $1,500 when it hits Japan on August 9, but no solid word on a US berth just yet.

AMIMON, Motorola, Sony, et al. join hands on wireless HD standard


Be still, our hearts! After watching the wireless HD / HDMI sector fumble along for years on end, a team of mega-corps have finally agreed to push their self-interests aside and collaborate on a standard. WHDI creator AMIMON has joined forces with Motorola, Samsung, Sony and Sharp in order to form "a special interest group to develop a comprehensive new industry standard for multi-room audio, video and control connectivity" utilizing the aforementioned Wireless Home Digital Interface technology. Reportedly, the group will have a standard completed before 2009 dawns, but we all know how easily these things can get pushed under the rug. Nevertheless, the overriding goal here is to "enhance the current WHDI technology to enable wireless streaming of uncompressed HD video and audio between CE devices such as LCD and plasma HDTVs, multimedia projectors, AV receivers, DVD and BD players, set-top-boxes, game consoles and PCs." A tall order, sure, but one we're elated to see taken on. Full release (and promo spot) after the break.

Hitachi brings up the rear with its CP-WX625 LCD projector

Although the flood has calmed to a trickle, we're still seeing a few more new projectors light up at InfoComm. The latest of which is Hitachi's CP-WX625, a WXGA (1,366 x 768) beamer packing an HDMI socket, 4,000 ANSI lumens, integrated speaker, side-mounted hybrid filter, a lamp good for 3,000 hours or so of PowerPoint projecting and a handful of other inputs more likely to be found in the boardroom / classroom. Mum's the word on a price or availability, but after one look at Samsung's SP-A800B, it's hard to really worry over units like this.

Hitachi's UWB-based TP-WL700H wirelessly transmits HD to Wooo HDTVs


Funny -- just this week we heard Hitachi President Kazuo Furukawa make mention of a forthcoming Wooonet networking scheme for its Wooo HDTVs, and now we're getting a few more details on potentially related peripherals. Analog Devices has just announced that its Advantiv technology is playing a huge role in the TP-WL700H. Said device is an ultra-wideband (UWB) based wireless transmission hub, which is currently available exclusively in Japan and designed to bring high-definition material to Wooo HDTVs sans extra cabling. There's not a peep about the unit ever heading Stateside, but given that everyone and their second cousin once removed is wondering when wireless HD will ever take off here, we'd sure like to see it make the journey.

[Image courtesy of Impress]

Hitachi shows off pair of new CinemaStar hard drives

Hitachi CinemaStar hard drivesJust after Hitachi President Kazuo Furukawa announced that the company is digging in with its flat panel and hard drive business lines, two new CinemaStar hard drives get a June release date. First up is the 2.5-inch, 320GB CinemaStar C5K320, with SmoothStream to keep your video flowing, um, smoothly. If you need more capacity, there's the 3.5-inch, 500GB CinemaStar 5K500 (not to be confused with the 2.5-inch TravelStar 5K500), which is Hitachi's first drive with CoolSpin to limit current draw. We've never had a problem putting standard desktop hard drives to multimedia use, but limiting heat/power draw and acoustic noise are two area that you should factor in for drives destined for living room or bedroom placement; so if poring over specs like bels and Watts isn't your thing, maybe consider an "approved" video drive like these.

Hitachi to forge ahead with flat-panel, HDD businesses


Hitachi, like most every other flat-panel producer out there, has hit some shaky ground of late. Still, the outfit isn't planning to ditch its bread-and-butter anytime soon, and that's straight from the mouth of President Kazuo Furukawa. During a recent corporate strategy meeting, the exec affirmed that it would continue to position its flat-panel TV and hard drive divisions as "core businesses," as he saw promise in the fact that "the flat-panel TV market is growing on a global basis." He also made mention of a "Wooonet" networking service for TVs, which would reportedly get going next month. Sure sounds inviting, yeah?

[Via Reuters]

Hitachi intros DZ-WR90 Blu-ray burner for hard drive-based camcorders

It looks like those wanting to churn out some high-definition media away from their computers now have a new option to consider courtesy of Hitachi, which has just introduced its DZ-WR90 Blu-ray burner designed to be used with hard drive-based camcorders equipped with an eSATA port (which Hitachi just happens to make). That combo will apparently let you burn three hours of full-res footage onto a Blu-ray disc in one and half hours flat or, if you prefer, you can also cram an hour of 720 x 480 video onto a plain old DVD. No word on a price just yet, but you can apparently look for this one to hit Japan in mid-July.

[Via Slash Gear]

Pioneer and Hitachi post losses, point the finger at plasma


The most previous quarter is a sore subject for both Pioneer and Hitachi, as the pair of mega-corps have just posted substantial net losses. The latter announced a $559.3 million net loss, while the former said its net loss for the fiscal fourth quarter ended March widened to $287.2 million. Hitachi pointed at "large restructuring losses in its flat-screen-TV business" as the primary culprit, and it didn't predict a return to profit until the fiscal year ending March 2009. After experiencing the fourth straight year of losses, Pioneer even mentioned that it would "start talks with its unions to shed 300 jobs in Japan" along with closing two domestic plants following the pullout from PDP production. So yeah, we'd probably rethink that plan about jumping into the plasma production biz. [Warning: read link requires subscription]

Hitachi's 1.5 UltraThin LCD HDTVs now available in US


You heard it right -- Hitachi's UltraThin 1.5 family that caused such a stir at CES is finally available for US consumers. Available in 32-, 37-, 42- and 47-inch sizes, the lot has been broken down into two distinct clans: the Director's Series (X) and Ultra Vision (V) models. Each member of the former comes with a 2-year warranty and a sticker ranging from $1,999 to $4,699, while the latter gets a 1-year warranty and price tags between $1,799 and $4,499. Curiously enough, it seems that several sets (the UT47X902, UT47V702, UT32A302/W, UT32V502/W, UT42V702 and UT37V702) may actually not yet be ready for shipping judging by their July to September availability dates, but we'll leave it to you to sort out the contradictions in Hitachi's press release with your dealer. Hit the read link for more details.

Hitachi's DZ-BD7HSW hybrid Blu-ray camcorder comes to UAE


Remember that hybrid Blu-ray camcorder Hitachi busted out late last summer? Lo and behold, that very unit has become the first of its kind to grace the markets in the United Arab Emirates. The flagship DZ-BD7HSW incorporates a 30GB hard drive along with BD recording capabilities to log hours upon hours of 1,920 x 1,080 footage of your stay in the Burj Al Arab, and for folks not keen on editing, it offers up a one-touch transfer function to get your HDD-stored material straight to Blu-ray Disc. Unfortunately, a price for the UAE isn't mentioned, but that's about all the reason you need to hop on over for a week and see for yourself, right?

Hitachi lets loose UWB-packin' Wooo LCD TVs, plus some plasmas

Hitachi has been touting its slim, UWB-packin Wooo UT series LCD TVs for some time now, but it looks like the company has now finally gotten around to dishing them out, and it's thrown in a few other new models for good measure. On the UT series front, the sets are the same 32-, 37- and 42-inch models we've seen before, with each boasting a 250GB hard drive, and a so-called iVDR port to accommodate Hitachi's iVDR hard drive cartridges for further expansion, with that aforementioned use of UWB helping to keep the thickness down about 1.4 inches. If you don't need your TVs quite that thin, you can opt for one of Hitachi's new Wooo XV LCD sets, also available in 32-, 36 -and 42-inch varieties (1366x768 and 1920x1080), which drop the UWB and internal hard drive but hang onto the iVDR port. Those that prefer plasmas can also take their pick of Hitachi's new 50- or 42-inch Wooo 02 series sets, both of which also boast an iVDR port, although only the 50-incher packs a 250GB internal hard drive (no UWB on these either). As if that wasn't enough, Hitachi also took the opportunity to announce its new Wooonet service for its UT series sets, which will not only let you transfer video from a PC to the TV, but give you access to a video on demand portal as well. No word on prices, but they're apparently all available in Japan now.




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