Mitsubishi and the onset of Spring can only mean one thing: an onslaught of HDTVs. Just as it did last year, the aforementioned outfit is busting out a plethora of high-definition sets to whet your appetite. As for the new line of April-bound DLPs ($1,799 to $4,699), you can expect the entire lot -- which ranges from 60- to 73-inches in size -- to sport 1080p panels, thinner frames than those on prior models, increased brightness, Mitsu's own 6-Color Processor and 3D-readiness.

Moving on, we've got the new family of Ultra Thin Frame 1080p LCD HDTVs ($2,499 to $4,499; shipping in May), which span between 40- and 52-inches and feature low-profile speakers, Smooth 120Hz Film Motion / GalleryPlayer technology, 10-bit panels, 6-Color Processor, x.v.Color and Deep Color. For these and the DLPs, those who opt for the Diamond series will be treated to Variable Smooth 120Hz Film Motion technology, a DeepField Imager and an oh-so-desirable blue light accent.

Lastly, the Laser TV which made its debut at CES 2008 is on track for a Q3 release, and just as predicted, it'll be going by the name LaserVue and sporting a currently undisclosed price tag. Hit the read link for the full breakdown.

News about Mitsubishi's laser TV may be short on specs and specifics, but it's already got plenty of naming options. Following up on earlier nomenclature rumors pointing towards LAZRTV, an anonymous tipster gave the heads up of yet another filing, dated January 24, attributed to Mitsubishi and attorney Ronald L. Taylor: LASERVUE. As far as we know, Motorola hasn't beaten them to the punch on this one, so maybe it will stick. According to the tip, an official announcement could be due the first week of April, so at least we'll have something to look forward to when our NCAA tournament brackets have long been torn up and discarded.

Thanks to CES being over and all, the latest Mitsubishi trademarks to surface aren't at all surprising. Apparently, the company went ahead and locked down LAZR last November (um, okay?), and now it has given us two more hints as to what the sets may eventually be called. As of late last month, Mitsu has filed to protect the trademarks LAZRTV and LAZRTELEVISION, despite society's growing frustration with model names spelled with Caps Lock depressed and numerous vowels inexplicably missing. 'Course, only time will tell whether the firm will actually use these monikers when its Laser TVs are finally loosed, but we'll go ahead and credit Motorola for giving 'em the idea (in a roundabout way, at least) in the first place.

[Via Trademork]
Read - LAZR trademark filing
Read - LAZRTV trademark filing
Read - LAZRTELEVISION trademark filing

Frank DeMartin, general manager of Mitsubishi Digital Electronics America, was nice enough to talk a little laser TV with us just before the unveiling of the new laser TV -- we're not exaggerating about the "little" part. While it all sounds fantastic, we were disappointed that he wasn't willing to even begin to satisfy our unlimited thirst for technical details. But he was confident that a laser TV could provide the ultimate in picture quality because "laser has the ability to hit color points that no other technology can." We understand his desire not to spill trade secrets, but any technical information beyond, "it's the best" would've been better than nothing. So while we don't know how the TV works, we do know that the principal makes sense; lasers offer the purest form of light, while at the same time use less power than other light sources. The problem of course is that the competition in the HDTV market is a fast moving target, and with the delays Mitsubishi has been dealing with, we wonder how competitively priced this new technology will be -- though Frank assured us that Mitsubishi's dominance in the red laser market will help . Frank says, "it'll be competitive with flat panel prices," and that's great and all, but price isn't the only factor needed to compete against flat panels, people like thin TVs and the laser TV isn't thin -- it's about as thin as a DLP. But regardless of being the same price, Mitsu thinks the superior picture quality will trump thin because "people want it flat, but they want it large too." Either way, we'll have to wait until some unknown time this year to see if the laser TV can live up to the hype, but with what we know right now, we're not sold just yet.

It seems that SED's reign as the most perpetually delayed television technology in recent memory may be getting a run for its money, as the Laser TV sets we were totally expecting (ahem) by Christmas aren't making it onto Santa's sleigh after all. According to The Sydney Morning Herald, vice-president of Arasor Scott Wilkie admitted that the sets wouldn't be available by the year's end, but he unsurprisingly passed the blame onto "other key component manufacturers" that "haven't quite ramped up as fast as was expected." Still, Frank DeMartin, vice-president of marketing and product development at Mitsubishi Digital Electronics, supposedly stated that we could see some Laser TV-based announcement at CES 2008, but we wouldn't be shocked if it was simply an updated timetable and a subtle plea for patience. January's just around the bend -- hopefully this will get sorted out soon enough.

Frank DeMartin, vice president for marketing and product development at Mitsubishi, casually mentioned in a recent NY Times article that the company will be showing off its large-screen laser TVs at the next CES (in January, put it in your calendar!). As mentioned in 2006, the new tri-laser projectors are said to have higher picture quality and a larger range of color than LCD or plasma screens, making them a bit of a threat to the status quo -- although currently it looks like the TVs will be promoted to the "premium" end of the market, thus waylaying any direct competition (save for the videophile crowd). Then again, since we'll all be getting these under the tree this year anyway, we're not sure what the big deal is.

Not that it should come as any surprise, but most manufacturers don't give a shiznit 'bout those laser TVs. Yeah, despite all the blow-harding by Novalux's C-levels about laser TVs supplanting plasmas, most big panel manufacturers have no plans to bring laser TV technology to market anytime soon. See, much of the laser TV hype is coming from Australia's own Arasor -- the company behind the optoelectronic chip central to the laser projection device -- so the Sydney Morning Herald went ahead and contacted Fujitsu, Pioneer, Samsung and Philips to get the poop. Just like we expected, none of them have any immediate plans to incorporate laser TV into their product lines, having already made significant investments in plasma and LCD. In fact, when asked if laser was a plasma killer, Samsung, who along with Mitsubishi are supposed to launch actual product before the close of 2007, stated that "Laser TV is one of a number of competing, next generation formats. At this stage, it is too early to say more." Still, Arasor's co-director Larry Marshall, continues boasting that by January's CES, "eight different manufacturers, including the major ones" will show-up with laser TVs on display. Maybe, but first-prototypes are miles away from mass production, eh Larry. Still, with Arasor set to list on the Australian Stock Exchange today in a few days, well, what do you expect.

[Thanks, anon]

Remember that laser-powered projection TV announced by Mitsubishi earlier this year? Well, another prototype was turned out again today in Australia only this time, by Arasor, the Australian company that will manufacture the unique optoelectronic chip central to the laser projection device developed by Silicon Valley-based Novalux. The new sets are touted to be half the price, twice as good, and use a quarter of the electricity of conventional plasma and LCD TVs and be half the weight and depth of modern plasmas. That "twice as good" statement comes from the tech's ability to up the color content from 30-35% of what the eye can see to 90% for a "lifelike image" on the display. Set to launch in time for the 2007 holidays under Samsung and Mitsubishi brands (among others), Novalux's top-dog, Jean-Michel Pelaprat, went so far as to predict that laser television would come to dominate the market above 40-inches, displacing plasmas altogether. Hmm, well, possibly on a long enough timeline. However, with mass produced SED TVs coming in 2008 and big-azz "Full-HD" LCDs and high-contrast plasma panels on the horizon, don't count on manufactures turning their backs on those massive investments in LCD and plasma technology just yet kid.

[Thanks, David W. and everyone who sent this in]