HDTV Almanac

A press release from Samsung highlights the fact that the company is now shipping its 81 Series of LCD HDTVs in time for holiday shopping. One key feature of these models is that they have LED backlights. Instead of the usual cold-cathode fluorescent lamps — CCFLs — the backlights for these models use an array of LEDs. This arrangement makes it possible to selectively dim the backlight in different regions of the screen, resulting in better black levels for images with dark regions. And since the backlight can be dimmed selectively rather than have to run full bore all the time, this also can result in energy savings. (Energy consumption on a plasma panel depends in part on the amount of light it has to produce to create a given image, but most LCDs have a constant requirement because the backlight is always on.)

Samsung calls this local dimming feature “Smart Lighting“. These TVs also have Samsung’s “LED Motion Plus” technology that cycles the LED backlight on and off, resulting in a strobe effect that is designed to reduce motion blur.

Samsung has four models available now with the LED backlight feature: the 40″ LNT4081F, the 46″ LNT4681F, the 52″ LNT5281F, and the 57″ LNT5781F.

Gemstar-TV Guide International and Comcast released results of a national study about consumers and “interactive program guides“. These are the electronic guides available from television services, from cable and satellite to the free over-the-air broadcasts. And few will be surprised to find that these guides have become almost as indispensible as the remote control.

80% of survey respondents say they always use the program guide to decide what to watch. The respondents also confirmed that they learned about new programs through the guide. 85% of guide users check it during commercials when watching a show.

One interesting statistic from the poll is that 67% of viewers decide what to watch after they sit down at the television. From observation in our own household, however, this is not as surprising as it might be at first glance. We have a DVR, so now we rarely start watching TV “on the hour“. Instead, we typically fire up the DVR and see what we have stored, and pick a show that suits our mood and who is watching. (There are shows that my wife watches by herself, shows that I watch by myself, and shows that we watch together.) We do occasionally watch “live” programming, primarily sporting events, and we’ll arrange our schedules to watch at that specific time. So “not knowing” what you’re going to watch two-thirds of the time seems about right to me.

Another interesting cluster of statistics relates to the advertising on the electronic guides. Half of the people using Gemstar’s guide reported that they noticed ads on the guide. Half of those that noticed have clicked on an ad for more information, and about a fifth have clicked on ads at least once a week. Seven out of ten who noticed an ad for a specific program ended up watching the program. And 40% of those who saw an ad for a pay-per-view program ordered it.

These statistics are interesting because they are another piece in the puzzle of figuring out who is going to pay for our programming, and how. If these programming guide ads are so effective, they could become a key part of the money flow. As the television viewing and World Wide Web browsing experiences merge, the Internet-style interactive ads may become more important for television programming than the traditional “commercial interruption” model. Remember, it’s only “junk mail” if it’s about something that doesn’t interest you. As the programming options explode through cable, satellite, and Internet offerings, the chances increase that your interests will correlate more closely with others watching the same program. Advertisers will be able to deliver their messages to you with laser-precision. Their ad dollars will be more effective, and you’ll see fewer offers that don’t appeal to you.

What was missing on Black Friday? I didn’t see any rear projection models with solid state lasers as a light source. This design is supposed to be the answer to why rear projection sets don’t sell. Lasers will eliminate the costly projection lamp and never need to be replaced. Lasers also require simpler optics, so the case can be thinner and the expensive optics can be streamlined. The result is a lower cost, thinner design that may compete effectively against plasma and LCD flat panels. Manufacturers are calling these “Laser TVs” to distinguish them from the traditional microdisplay rear display HDTVs. And they have been promised to ship before the end of the year, from major brands including Mitsubishi and Samsung.

Only we haven’t seen any yet, and there’s not much 2007 left. The Sydney Morning Herald published a story yesterday announcing that at least one Laser TV design won’t make it out of the starting gate in time this year. Arastor (imager chip) and Novalux (lasers) announced in October 2006 that a laser HDTV would be available before the end of this year, but apparently that is still in a holding pattern.

Interest is strong in Laser TV, and we can expect to hear some revised projections and maybe see some new prototypes next month at CES in Las Vegas. As intriguing as the concept may be, however, it’s still an uphill climb to get the average American consumer to consider anything other than an LCD or plasma these days.

Plasma, LCD, rear projection, or something else? Find the right choice with Professor Poor’s Guide to Buying HDTV, now available in paperback from Amazon or other fine booksellers.

It’s hard enough to play in a fiercely competitive game, but even harder when they go and change the rules. That’s the problem being faced by cable companies in the United States.

When cable services first started, the federal, state, and local governments worked out a carrot-and-stick arrangement to encourage them to make the investment required to create the business. In most cases, cable companies were allowed to string their wires in a town, but only if they agreed to maket the service available to all residents. This 100% coverage added to the cost, but a single company was given exclusive access so that they could be sure of their market.

All that has changed. Satellite service is available just about everywhere that cable is, and other places as well. Telephone companies — Verizon and AT&T — are offering television services over fiber optic broadband. And now the FCC appears to be taking the stance that the cable companies collectively control too much of the market, and need to be regulated more closely. Cable companies have to allow competitors to offer alternative service in large apartment buildings. The FCC has decided that 70 percent of the US consumers have access to cable service, and of those, 70 percent subscribe. This determination gives the FCC additional regulatory powers.

Cable is also facing technological challenges as well. The satellite companies can increase their bandwidth more or less by just sending up new, more powerful satellites. As a result of such expansion, they are offering more and more HD content. DirecTV has promised to deliver 100 HD channels by the end of the year. The company has a goal of 150 national and 1,500 local HD channels. The telephone companies are rapidly building out their optic fiber networks, which have enormous bandwidth. Meanwhile, cable companies have a gigantic investment in their existing infrastructure, which may have limited bandwidth in some areas. This makes it difficult to offer more HD content without resorting to over-compressing the signal.

Between increased regulation and greater competition, cable companies are getting squeezed in both directions. At the same time, they have invest in new infrastructure without losing subscribers to the new alternatives.

Is satellite service right for you? Compare the offerings at http://hdtvprofessor.com/SatelliteTVService/satellite-comparison.html.

For the second year in a row, Amazon has run its “Customer Vote” promotion. This pits three popular products against each other, offered at crazy discount prices. Different choices are offered each day over a week. Amazon visitors then vote for which one they would like to buy. Hundreds of voters who picked the winner are selected at random and given the opportunity to buy it at that discounted price. For example, the first round gave the choice of a Nintendo Wii for $97, a Sony Playstation 3 (40 GB) for $319, or an XBox 360 for $219. The Wii was the run-away winner with 58% of the vote, then 28% for the PS3, and only 14% for the XBox. (Note that the Wii had the lowest price of the three choices.)

Well, today’s round is a competition between the Toshiba HD-A35 for $149, the TiVo HD Video Recorder for $149, and the Samsung BD-1400 for $249. And which did the Amazon customers pick? The HD DVD player from Toshiba, with 41% of the votes. The TiVo was second with 36% of the votes, and the Samsung Blu-Ray player trailed at just 23% of the votes.

Now, this is not a scientific sampling of the marketplace, but I’d bet that it’s pretty representative. (Why would Amazon waste the resources to run this campaign if it didn’t net some valuable market intelligence? Remember, we’re talking about Amazon here.) And if this is accurate, then it it looks as though the HD DVD player has a strong advantage. Is it the lower price or the features? There’s no way to know from these results, but it sure looks to me as though the price advantage is a key factor.

(And no, I was not selected as one of the voters offered a chance to buy the Toshiba player.)

Today is Black Friday, the day we all get excited about incredible deals on all sorts on consumer electronics. But just because we get excited, it doesn’t mean that we should let accuracy fly out the window. And that goes double if you’re part of the technology media whose mission is to help separate fact from fiction for consumers who are confused enough already. So, you can imagine how I felt when I read the following in a Yahoo!/PC World article entitled “Great HDTV Deals Beckon ‘Black Friday’ Shoppers“:

Here’s one of the best bargains I’ve spotted so far: Sears is selling Hitachi’s 42-inch P42H401 1080p plasma for just $776.99 through November 21.

Okay, loyal readers, where’s my beef? I hope you all spotted it; the Hitachi P42H401 is not a 1080p plasma HDTV. It does have 1080 lines of pixels, but it only has 1024 columns of pixels which is barely half of what it needs to produce an 1080p image. Not even Hitachi calls it “1080p” (though they do call it “HD1080“, whatever that means). Check out the spec sheet for yourself.

Now, I’m not saying that a 42″ plasma TV under $800 isn’t a good deal, but please don’t call it 1080p when it isn’t.

A tip of the leftover turkey to Tom for bringing this to my attention. You too can win a coveted “Truth Patrol” t-shirt if we use an item you send in that blows the whistle on a HDTV ad or article that goes astray.

Anyone in the magazine business can tell you; the hard part is getting someone to subscribe. Getting renewals is much easier. That’s why magazines offer crazy deals for new subscribers. And that also explains the hundreds of dollars you can get as a bonus if you sign up for satellite service when you buy your new HDTV. Well, Verizon has gone a step further with their new FiOS television service delivered over their fiber optic network.

The company is giving away HDTVs to new subscribers, according to an article in Broadcast Newsroom. You can get a 19″ Sharp Aquos HDTV. Granted, that’s not a huge set — it’s about the right size for a personal television — but it’s still impressive. Or you can opt for a $200 gift certificate from Best Buy. According to the article, the offer will run at least through December 15, but is only available in limited markets. It’s currently available in Massachusetts, Rhode Island, Connecticut, New York, New Jersey, Maryland, Virginia, and parts of Indiana.

The fact remains that you can get more money back by signing up for satellite service, but if you like the idea of blazing fast broadband Internet access as well as television service, the Verizon deal might be the right one for you in the long run.

Okay, maybe it’s not “no wires”, because this new LCD TV from LG Electronics still needs to be plugged into a power outlet. But you don’t need to connect it to your set top box or DVD player, at least not with cables. The 52LG71 has high-speed WiFi 802.11n wireless connectivity built right in, so you can transmit HD content fast enough to keep up. The company has not released full details about the model yet, but intends to showcase it at CES in January in Las Vegas (and of course, I’ll be there to report on the highlights of the show).

This wireless feature is probably aimed at accessing stored content on home computer networks, but it’s an important step on two fronts. First, wireless connectivity will eventually help TVs access all sorts of video, music, and other content directly on the Web. And when the WiFi connection is used to connect to DVD players and set top boxes, it will make component placement and setup much easier. There will be no worrying about whether you have the right cables, or which connector to use. And if all the devices can “converse” with each other, eventually you’ll be able to control all the pieces by telling them what you want to do, rather than give individual commands to each piece.

Networking is clearly the future for televisions.

What size flat panel TV do you want to find in your stocking this holiday? (I hope you have a big stocking!) Maybe a 42″, or 50″? How about one of those 103″ monsters you see on some of the network sports sets? Or are you thinking really big? How about 140″ diagonal? In case you’re having trouble thinking about how big that is, try this: it’s a bit larger than a wall of 11 42″ panels. That’s big.

What is it? It’s the new Resolia LED display from Mitsubishi. No, it’s not an LCD with an LED backlight; it uses discrete LEDs to create the image. Unlike previous large LED displays that came broken down into dozens of pieces, it comes assembled in two large modules, making it easier to install. (You couldn’t maneuver it into some rooms if it came shipped as a single panel.)

Now, before your visions of sugarplums are replaced by dreams of a Resolia of your very own, there are two other details you should know. In spite of its size, it’s not an HDTV. The resolution is only 768 by 448, so it barely has the resolution to do wide standard definition images. It won’t show high definition detail (though it can process and scale down HD signals). The only other factor that might deter you is that it costs a bagel less than $600,000. But they only plan on making 200 worldwide this year, so you don’t have to worry about your wiseacre neighbor saying that he’s got one just like it.

It may be true that “what goes up, must come down,” but the opposite is not true in consumer electronics these days. Once a price goes down, it pretty much stays down. Case in point: the new Toshiba HD-A3 HD DVD player. This is the replacement for the HD-A2 that caused so much excitement in recent weeks. Circuit City knocked the price down to $199.99, and then Wal-Mart and Best Buy went to town selling out their inventories at $99.99. Why? Because the new HD-A3 was coming, and they wanted to clear the shelves.

So now the HD-A3 is available, and guess what? Circuit City already has it at the $199.99 price that caused such a stir for the HD-A2. This is the new expected price point for an entry level HD DVD player, and yes, you still get five free HD DVD movies in the deal. With the movies selling for $30 a pop, that’s $150 of the value right there. (Oh, and Circuit City is also running a “buy two, get one free” deal on HD DVD and Blu-ray mov discs.)

HD DVD players are now considerably less expensive than Blu-ray, and even priced lower than the PlayStation 3. I expect that the next four weeks are going to show a huge shift to HD DVD in the market. At these prices, Blu-ray doesn’t stand a chance.