December, 2007 | HD TV PROFESSOR

Month: December 2007

Half of US Homes Have DTVs

December 31, 2007 | Author: Muneeb Mannan

Are you a "glass is half full" or "half empty" type of person? This story may mean different things to you, depending on your perspective. The Consumer Electronics Association -- CEA -- put out a release on Friday trumpeting the good news that more than 50% of U.S. households now have "digital televisions". The group points to the "record pace" of adoption as an important part of the transition to...

Wireless Networked HDTVs

December 28, 2007 | Author: Muneeb Mannan

The Danish TV-maker Zepto has reportedly released a new line of LCD HDTVs that can connect wirelessly to Windows Media Center computers on a local network. The Helios LCD line includes a 720p 32" model and a 1080p 40" model. They are only available in Europe, with ticker-stopping stickers of more than $3,000 each. For that price, you could buy a 1080p 42" LCD HDTV and a Media Center PC...

More Talk about 32″ Plasma TVs

December 27, 2007 | Author: Muneeb Mannan

Concerns about short supplies of 32" LCD panels for HDTVs continue to grow, and plasma panels are hoping for the opportunity to fill the gap with inexpensive plasma models. Original intended for the growing consumer markets in China and India, some brands including Proview are reportedly eying the U.S. market for low cost plasma sets. This development is not surprising, but I fear that it will lead to a lot...

Gravity Exerts Control over LCD HDTV Production

December 26, 2007 | Author: Muneeb Mannan

This item starts with what has to be one of the strangest press releases ever published in all of 2007. On December 19, Matsushita -- the parent mega-corporation of Panasonic -- released the following statement, repeated here in its entirety: The Company has not decided anything in regards to the alliance in LCD Panel Business with Hitachi, Ltd. and Canon Inc. Maybe it's like the old Sherlock Holmes story about...

Happy Holidays!

December 25, 2007 | Author: Muneeb Mannan

My family celebrates Christmas, and that's what I'll be doing today. I will take this time to send out my best wishes to everyone who reads the HDTV Almanac, and hope that you enjoy a wonderful holiday season, whatever holiday holds special meaning for you. I also want to thank you for your support, and that you'll continue to help grow the Almanac readership. The increase has been swift and...

The Sony RPTV Shoe Drops

December 24, 2007 | Author: Muneeb Mannan

Many were surprised last week by Sony's announcement that the company will shut down production of its rear projection HDTV models, and sell out existing inventory. One reason that this was a surprise is that by some measures, Sony was in second place for this market segment. Why would the company abandon this market? As I've said before, the rear projection HDTV market defies gravity. If you're in the market...

Thin is In

December 21, 2007 | Author: Muneeb Mannan

Okay, we've done flat. What next? According to Sharp, the next step will be thinner flat panel HDTVs. The company hopes to trim set thickness in half or so, to create a sexy, svelte display. The other part of the strategy is that these panels will be able to command a premimum in the marketplace, and stave off the fierce competition that keeps driving down prices 20% to 30% per...

Gamers Get HDTV

December 20, 2007 | Author: Muneeb Mannan

A new survey by Nielsen shows that game console buyers are indeed buying HDTVs in order to get the maximum performance from their systems. According to the results, 71% of the PS3 owners have their consoles connected to an HDTV, while 66% of XBox 360 and 65% of Wii systems are hooked up to HDTVs. It's not surprising to me that the PS3 has a slight edge here. It's a...

High Def DVD for Your PC

December 19, 2007 | Author: Muneeb Mannan

Disc drive maker Addonics has announced its Zebra Blu-ray/HD DVD Player external drive. Not only will it read both high definition formats, it can also read and write to most DVD and CD media as well. The drive comes in two models. One version has both USB 2.0 and external SATA connectors, for a list price of $429. You can also get a version without the USB connection for $20...

FCC Gets Ready for DTV Converters

December 18, 2007 | Author: Muneeb Mannan

The first 100 retailers have been certified by the National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA) in preparation for the federal discount program for converter boxes. These retailers represent about 15,000 individual outlets, which will be eligible to accept the $40 coupons for converter boxes. Some of the approved chains include Best Buy, Circuit City, K-Mart, Radio Shack, Sears, Target, and Wal-Mart. These converter boxes will allow older televisions with only...