Sharp Japan today announced [press release in English] the development of a new method that makes it possible to control the alignment of liquid crystal molecules in LCD screens with high precision. In practical terms, this means the new UV2A technology could lead to TVs that save energy and display pictures with higher contrast ratios. → Read More
We knew that when Sony announced the beautiful ZX5 in Europe a US model shouldn’t be that far behind. And sure enough, Sony just announced the XBR10 which is pretty much a cloned version. It too rocks a wireless 1080p media receiver, edge-mounted LED backlighting, and 240Hz technology. We just wish that they weren’t so damn expensive or at the very least made with localized dimming instead of edge-mounted LEDs. → Read More
Mitsubishi Electric organized a big press conference today in Tokyo, unveiling two new series of LCD TVs, three Blu-ray DVRs and a new full HD video projector. The two TVs of the BHR series are the world’s first featuring both a built-in Blu-ray recorder and an HDD. No announcements regarding release dates outside Japan were made, but here are the main details for every device, all prices and release dates and some pictures. → Read More
The consolidation process in the Japanese home electronics business goes on and on. Today former rivals Sharp and Sony said [JP] they reached a final agreement to launch an LCD panel joint venture in Osaka, after having failed to ink the deal last month. In March already, Sharp said it wants Sony as a partner for its plans to boost the production of LCD TVs. → Read More
Now there is no excuse for you not having an LCD monitor. CompUSA is selling thie I-Inc 19-inch widescreen LCD for only $100 + $2 for shipping. That’s cheap. Granted, it’s not a Dell Ultrasharp, but it’s better than nothing. → Read More
Dude. Sweet. I don’t have kids, let alone anyone who really ever rides in the back seat of the car but if I did, I could easily justify a $130 outlay for not one, but two (two!) replacement headrests with built-in 7-inch LCD screens. Maybe I should just get these and then always ride in the back myself while the little lady handles the driving. → Read More
If you’ve ever come to Japan, and especially to Tokyo, you will have noticed this country’s love for digital signage systems. They’re practically everywhere and some of them are quite cool. Now Tokyo-based Dai Nippon Printing (DNP) has announced plans to set up a digital signage system [JP] that consists of a total of twelve 42-inch LCDs. → Read More
Dell’s prepped a killer 1080p monitor that should be great for gaming. Well, it should be. The OptX AW2210 is afterall an Alienware product. (read: it’s overpriced, but loaded) [PSGallery=7sc3j0pqwn] → Read More
JVC today announced a new brand for LCD TVs in Japan [JP]. The first model of the badly named XIVIEW series is the LT-42WX7, a full HD display sized at 42 inches. JVC said they first want to target business customers with the new model, possibly followed by XIVIEWs for home use. → Read More
Toshiba is releasing three new lines of LCD TVs. The only one you care about is the SV670 LED line up though. The other two series, XV648 and ZV650, are just your standard top-tier LCDs TVs. But the SV670 might be something special. → Read More
JVC presented a prototype of a super-thin and super-light 32-inch LCD TV back in January (during the CES) and today announced [JP] that sales of the device will begin this August (in Japan, at least). The company claims the model is the world’s thinnest LCD display of that size. → Read More
Panasonic launched the VIERA R Series today in Japan [JP], consisting of a total of seven new plasma and LCD TVs. The first TVs of the series will be available over here starting July 1, with Panasonic not yet saying anything about sales in overseas markets. → Read More
Sharp has developed an LCD screen that can display a total of five primary colors, two more than usually used. In addition to red, green and blue, the prototype features cyan and yellow color filters. The result: A screen capable of reproducing 99% of the surface colors existing in the real world through what Sharp calls “Multi-Primary-Color Technology”. → Read More
FED and SED are practically dead, Plasmas never really took off and OLED are still too expensive to produce. Now Hitachi Displays wants to change this by dramatically improving the good old LCDs, at least for mobile devices (even for these, OLED are far from being a regularly used). → Read More
LG announced today their new “thin” display line. The press release claims that LG’s are the thinnest in the world, but our constant readers know the truth. → Read More
Toshiba Corp. (6502) announced yesterday it plans to convert Toshiba Matsushita Display Technology (TMD) into a wholly owned subsidiary. TMD is an LCD manufacturing joint venture formed by Toshiba and Matsushita (now Panasonic). The joint venture produces around 10% of small LCD panels. It’s second only to Sharp in this market segment. → Read More
It looks like Sharp is seeing its (near) future in LCD TVs and solar panels. The company tomorrow sets up Sharp Display Products Corporation (SDP), a subsidiary based in Osaka. In addition, Toshiba will be partnering with Sharp to step up production of solar panels. The picture shows a solar-powered LCD TV Sharp showcased in July last year. → Read More
Whoops. Hitachi is the latest manufacturer admitting to LCD price fixing and another win for the U.S. Justice Department. Last year, LG and Sharp also plead guilty on similar charges and paid $520 million combined in fines. Hitachi’s case involves fixing prices of LCD that were sold to Dell between 2001 and 2004. So that means if you purchased a laptop of LCD monitor between those times from Dell, you can probably raise and shake your fist at Hitachi cause you probably overpaid. → Read More
Shocker of the day, folks: modern A/V technology is selling well in Japan. DfK Marketing Services Japan just announced the results of a 2008 study which concluded that the Blu-ray format and flat-panel TVs are seeing sales numbers increasing. Actually, it’s impressive as the country is experience an economic slow down similar to ours here in the States. → Read More
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