(Credit:
Sony)
If you've got $33,000 earmarked for a new television, then Sony's main CES announcement might pique your interest. If you don't, you'll have to wait until the company's February show to hear anything official about the company's 2007 products. Eschewing CES for significant product news is nothing new for the company, but the price point of its new flagship HDTV still represents a certain kind of bravado. At least Sony knows how to capture headlines from the mainstream press.
The $33,000 KDL-70XBR3 (did I mention it costs $33,000?) happens to be a 70-inch flat-panel LCD HDTV with a laundry list of cutting-edge specs, seemingly all couched in the terminology of Sony trademarks. Topping the list is "x.v. Color," which the company carefully explains is its brand name for xvYCC technology. It allows the KDL-70XBR3 to display a wider color gamut, which should actually improve picture quality, but requires xvYCC-enabled content to take full advantage of. As far as I know there isn't any xvYCC content currently available, but with Sony introducing four new xvYCC camcorders at CES, baby footage utilizing the latest Sony products might be lent whole new realms of realism. Seriously, I've heard the first xvYCC-enabled content will come courtesy of video games, presumably on the PlayStation 3.
Of course, the KDL-70XBR3 has 1080p (1920x1080) native resolution, and it adds a 120Hz refresh rate (a.k.a. "Motionflow"), 10-bit color, and an improved LED backlight ("Triluminos" according to the Sony trademark artists). The high refresh rate could help remove judder and blurring in fast-moving images, while the increased color depth could reduce false contouring if the source is also 10-bit. The three HDMI inputs are version 1.3-compatible.
At the other end of the cost continuum, Sony also announced a "Bravia Internet Video Link that will allow most of its new televisions to access free Internet video content, including high-definition videos, from providers including AOL, Yahoo, and Grouper, as well as Sony Pictures Entertainment and Sony BMG Music," according to the press release. The magic comes courtesy of a small module (price, availability not announced) that connects to "most of its new televisions." Hey, at least it's not Sony Connect. No mention is made of the inevitable paid content deals, but I don't expect the company to offer free access to HD-resolution Sony Pictures films anytime soon. The only compatible televisions the company specified are the new S3000 series: the 46-inch KDL-46S3000, the 40-inch KDL-40S3000, and the 32-inch KDL-32S3000, available this spring. I'll scare up details on those sets soon.
HL-T6187S: LED-powered DLP
(Credit: Samsung)DLP-based rear-projection HDTVs have always been a mainstay of Samsung's extensive HDTV offerings, and offerings at this year's CES are no different. To follow up on its release of the HL-S5679W--the first widely available DLP to be powered by LEDs and 2006 Best of CES winner in the television category--the company announced three new LED-powered DLP sets for this year. The 61-inch HL-T6187S, the 56-inch HL-T5687S, and the 50-inch HL-T5087S all replace standard bulbs with a trio of light-emitting diodes, which imbues them with a longer life span (20,000 hours before needing replacement, as opposed to 3,000 to 6,000 hours with a bulb), an immunity to the rainbow effect, and the ability to impart that warm sense of environmental responsibility associated with mercury-free gear. They further increase appeal by decreasing the depths of their cabinets compared to last year's models. All three have 1080p (1,920x1,080) native resolution and "3D-ready technology." I'll ask Samsung about that one when I get a chance, but red-and-blue glasses aren't mentioned on the spec sheet. In case you're wondering, these still use the wobulated 1080p chip, known as "SmoothPicture" to TI fans (more info).
Conspicuously missing from the sets' official descriptions is any mention of whether their three HDMI inputs are version 1.3, but I'll post an update when I find out. The company also did not divulge pricing or availability for these sets, although they'll definitely arrive later and command a higher premium than the company's standard, bulb-powered DLPs.
HL-T6176S: bulb-powered DLP
(Credit: Samsung)Samsung introduced a matching trio of bulb-powered sets at the show and was even brave enough to commit to pricing and availability. There's the 61-inch HL-S6176S ($2,899 estimated selling price), the 56-inch HL-T5676S ($2,499) and the 50-inch HL-T5076S ($2,099), all coming in April. Each gets 1080p resolution and that difficult-to-believe but oh-so-round 10,000:1 contrast ratio, along with a few smaller numbers: three non-1.3 HDMI inputs, 3D readiness, and a depth of 10.6 inches. I assume that last number describes only the 50-incher and that others are proportionately deeper, but I can't confirm yet. Those prices are about equal to today's selling prices for the current generation of 1080p DLPs, such as the HL-S5687W.
In a smart move, Philips is shifting away from plasma and focusing almost exclusively on LCD TVs in 2007. The notable exception is its moderately priced ($3,500) 63-inch plasma TV, which has more potential than the company's earlier 42- and 50-inch plasma TVs that had to go head-to-head against Panasonic's highly regarded models.
LED is now the light behind Ambilight.
(Credit: Philips)According to Philips, its new Ambilight LCD FlatTVs "range in size from 32- to 52-inches (32PFL7332, 42PFL7432D, 42PFL9832D, 47PFL9732D, 47PFL7432D and 52PFL7432D). The 42-, 47-, and 52-inch models now boast 1080p resolution, Perfect Pixel HD Engine to maximize 1080p content for the best picture, Pixel Plus 3 HD, Digital Natural Motion and ClearLCD, the peak of high-definition (HD) for today's demanding consumer."
Probably the biggest news is that Philips is now using LED to power its Ambilight technology. The company says that, "The LED generates more saturated colors, allows for a more compact set design, and consumes less power than prior models."
Here's a look at the full lineup:
Philips' upcoming Ambilight LCD TVs.
(Credit: Philips)
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