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Mitsubishi, Hitachi talk LED / laser technology

by Darren Murph posted Apr 9th 2007 at 9:03AM


Trust us, we know when these mega-corps put their heads together to create a buzz-eliciting presentation about the "future of HDTV," things don't always materialize as planned, but Mitsubishi and Hitachi each had a few interesting things to say at a recent pep talk about their hopes and dreams. Aside from alerting us all to the painfully obvious tidbit that HDTV prices are "unlikely to be stable" in the years ahead, Mitsubishi also talked up how 1080p will become an integral part of its forthcoming sets, and more interestingly, spoke about integrating "LED and laser technologies" into HDTVs. Also, it was stated that bigger screens would likely garner more attention as prices fell, and that x.v. Color would also play a role in 2007 / 2008 strategies. On the Hitachi front, it focused more on marketing its "well built flat panels" as "accessible luxuries," but also mentioned an expansion in its HDTV lineup, a boost in 1080p-capable sets, and a 60-inch flagship plasma that would "be sold only through A/V specialists." Now, who's betting it all comes true?

Tips to increase your microdisplay's lamp life

by Matt Burns posted Mar 22nd 2007 at 8:37AM

The single most annoying "feature" about microdisplays (DLP, LCD, & LCoS) is that stupid lamp. Sure, it maybe easy to change, but at $150-$350 and only lasting around 4000 hours - costly & annoying. Thankfully there are a few ways to improve the life of this little guy. HDTV Magazine runs down all of them but the two that you really need to watch is constantly turning the set on/off and AC power conditioning.

By turning the TV on and off constantly, it puts lots of strain on the lamp and is the most destructive action to the bulb. So, if you are going to step out of the house for a minute or leave the room for a while, keep the TV on. They are low power consuming devices anyways. Second is power conditioning and regulation. While we will keep all the nitty gritty details for another post, a nice surge suppressor with battery backup is the way to go. (Look at Monster, Belkin, and Tripp Lite models)It will keep the power spikes to a minimum and if the power goes out, it will give you a chance to power down the set and let the fan cool down the bulb. Still with all this, there is no way to guarantee a how long that bulb will last.

AKAI / Memorex to ship 1080p rear-projection LCoS HDTVs this summer

by Darren Murph posted Jan 10th 2007 at 10:58AM

Considering how well RPTVs (well, HDTVs in general, actually) have been selling lately, it's no surprise to see two more low-end manufacturers looking to grab their own piece of the pie. MicroDisplay Corporation announced at CES that bottom-end stalwarts AKAI and Memorex will both start shipping 1080p-capable rear-projection sets this summer. The TVs will be based on MicroDisplay's "proprietary single-chip 1080p LCoS digital projection imaging technology," dubbed Liquid Fidelity, which supposedly maintains a crisp, "home theater-like" picture while eliminating two of the three chips "required by other LCoS technologies." No hard details were shared about any of the units, but it was noted that we'll see sizes ranging from 52- to 62-inches, and each set will be "customized with a variety of options." So if you'll still be hunting for a 1080p set this summer, and don't mind the low-end quality for the rock bottom price, these AKAI / Memorex units should fit the bill quite nicely.

MicroDisplay planning to shake up 1080p LCoS HDTV market

by Darren Murph posted Dec 10th 2006 at 3:41PM

We're all about driving down prices, thus we're all about MicroDisplay's apparent plans to break the LCoS market wide open when it starts throwing down at CES. The Silicon Valley startup has hopes to deliver "50-inch plus" LCoS sets to "major big box retailers" under "major CE brand names" soon after unveiling its product line in just about a month. The firm is banking on the skyrocketing HD sales, not to mention the phasing out of CRT-based sets, to propel its single-chip sets atop the market. By developing self-proclaimed "unique and proprietary 1080p LCoS digital projection imaging devices," the company is aiming to mass produce a 50-inch model with a lightning quick response time for "under $1,500." Taking a note from Philips' single-chip motif, the sets would eventually range from 50- to 62-inches, with most sets hitting retails floors "around summer 2007."

JVC now shipping new HD-ILA 1080p HDTVs

by Richard Lawler posted Sep 14th 2006 at 11:08AM

JVC's 2006 line of LCoS-based HDTVs is finally available on store shelves, they announced these 56-, 61- and 70-inch RPTV models back in January but announced at CEDIA they are now shipping. They use the same technology as Sony's SXRD sets -- no LED backlighting this year -- with 2-million plus pixels on its 0.7-inch microdisplay chip. The big advance over previous models is their ability to accept and display a true 1080p input. Also features is the dynamic iris technology for improving black level quality that was so well reviewed in last year's models. They include JVC's Genessa 32-bit CPU and Digital Image Scaling Technology (D.I.S.T.) for upscaling all sources to 1080p via their ATSC/NTSC/QAM tuners, dual HDMI and component jacks, IEEE 1394, and PC input. Each TV is available in two editions, the FN series has a silver cabinet and black bezel, while the FH line adds an RS-232C jack, gold connections and all black cabinet and bezel. The HD-70FH97 is pictured above, check below for the 56- and 61-inch models. Prices below are MSRP, a quick Froogle search shows they can be found for considerably less, although none of the stores we checked indicated they were in stock yet.

Pricing:
  • HD-56FN97 $3,499.95
  • HD-61FN97 $3,799.95
  • HD-70FN97 $5,499.95
  • HD-56FH97 $3,799.95
  • HD-61FH97 $4,099.95
  • HD-70FH97 $5,799.95

Continue reading JVC now shipping new HD-ILA 1080p HDTVs

1080p carbon nanotube-based LCoS microdisplay

by Richard Lawler posted Jun 1st 2006 at 12:45PM

Syscan Imaging has announced the first product from the nanotechnology company they acquired last fall. The 0.7-inch microdisplay claims to deliver 1920x1080 images at a lower cost than competing technologies. They also hope to overcome some of the problems that have hamstrung LCoS technology so far by increasing yields and having a lower operating temperature. Finally, its designers are optimistic they'll be able to reach even higher resolutions in the future. Looks like D-ILA and SXRD may have some competition, although HDTVs based on the technology are not expected to hit until 2007.

DLPs and LCDs pricy little bulbs

by Matt Burns posted May 5th 2006 at 10:36AM

OK microdisplay owners. Talk to us. DLPs and LCDs are popular types of HDTVs. They offer a great size to price ratio and the picture on them is great. But they have those little bulbs. MSNBC ran a story way back in the middle of April that is still floating around and we want to know your take on it. Basically, they are recommending the DLP because the owner will not have to replace the bulb for a few years to come. We here at HD Beat have heard of multiple bulb replacements per year in some cases.

How long has your bulb lasted in your LCD/DLP? We need to know how long you watch the HDTV each day though in order to fully understand where you are coming from. Talk to us folks.




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