Consumer HDTV Gallery

       High-definition TV: Widescreen, flatscreen

    by Douglas Dixon

   

Digital TV Trends
    Digital TV / Analog Sunset - Feb. 17, 2009
    Style, thin, "Full HD," enhancement, connectivity
Digital TV Issues
    Viewing distance, resolution, scaling, cables - HDMI
Sample HDTV Products

See also:
    Home Networked Media Gallery
    High-Def DVD Gallery

Find related Television articles in the Manifest Tech Blog

Digital TV Trends

See also a summary of Digital Holiday Trends 2007: Digital TV -- High-Def and the Analog Sunset

• Analog sunset February 18, 2009, stop analog broadcasting

• Big-screen, widescreen TVs (40 inch and above)

• Flat panels (LCD and plasma) replace tube TVs.

Digital TV / Analog Sunset - Feb. 17, 2009

• Over-the-air analog television broadcasts will be turned off on February 17, 2009
      Only changes for over-the-air broadcasts received with an antenna, not cable or satellite TV
• Receiving digital TV broadcasts will require a recent TV set with a DTV-ready tuner, 
      or an external DTV converter box connected to an older analog TV set
• All television equipment sold after May 25, 2007 should contain a digital tuner (or be labeled correctly)
• Federal government issuing up to two $40 coupons to each household for converter boxes

• FCC - Digital TV Transition
      www.dtv.gov
• FCC Consumer Facts - Digital TV
      www.fcc.gov/cgb/consumerfacts/digitaltv.html
• Digital TV Converter Box Program
      National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA)
      www.dtv2009.gov
• DTV Answers - NAB DTV transition campaign (National Association of Broadcasters)
      www.DTVAnswers.com
• AntennaWeb - Locate antenna to receive local television broadcast channels
      Consumer Electronics Association (CEA) and National Association of Broadcasters (NAB)
      www.antennaweb.org

Trends - CES 2008

Flat-screen TVs are hot with consumers, and have finally reached "Full HD" resolution. 
But there's still major improvements coming in size, design, picture quality, and connectivity -- as well as the new OLED displays. 
Or is the future actually in mobile TV on smaller screens?

        Philips 7600

• Display: LCD / plasma, Projection
• Size: Panasonic 150"
• Emphasis on design: Thin, invisible speakers, wireless HD
      Narrow bezel - Toshiba REGZA XF550 - 0.9"
      < 1", Philips "Art of seduction", Samsung Touch of Color
• Full HD: 1080p (full 1920 x 1080 progressive)
      Limited content sources
• LCD fast motion:
      Frame doubling 120 Hz, motion interpolation (JVC, Samsung)
      Scan LED backlight (Samsung)
• Picture enhancement: Brightness, contrast, detail, color -- contrast ratio
      Pioneer KURO pure black
• OLED LED (Organic Light Emitting Diode)
      Sony 11" TV, 27" prototype
• Connected TVs: Play from networked devices, PC on TV
      Samsung IPTV / RSS feeds in windows

External Interfaces

• Memory card / USB slots: Media host for photo slide shows, music

• Network interfaces: Display content from other devices in the home

• Cable integration: OCAP (open cable application platform) 
      multistream CableCARD, interactive

• Multiple HDMI inputs: More HD sources

• LG Simple Link: Control additional components over HDMI

• Integrated DVR: LG 50PY2DR -- 50" Plasma, $4699 (1/07)

Pricing -- 1/07

• 15/20" LCD $300 - SD, not HD

• 26" LCD, 720p HD,  $800 - $1000

• 32" LCD $1000

• 37" LCD $1000 - $2000

• 40/42"" LCD $1500 - $3800. from 1080i to 1080p, HDMI

• 42" Plasma $1500 - $2800

• 50/58" Plasma $2200 - $5000

• Holiday 2006:  Philips 47" 1080p LCD $2,999, 63" plasma $5,999

LCD -- Liquid Crystal Displays

• Lower prices from mass production for both computer and TV displays,

• Choice for smaller display sizes -- up to around 40 - 50 inches

• Thinner and lighter

• Improved black level and viewing angle

• Improving fast motion: 

• Good for bright room

• Sharp: 65" LCD, CES 05 -- Sharp: 108" LCD, CES 07

• LG: 100" LCD, CES 07

Plasma Screens 

• Dominant for larger screen sizes -- beyond 40 inches to 50 to 60 inches

• Accurate color reproduction

• Wide contrast range, 3000:1 contrast ratio

• Deep black level, movies (Pioneer CES 07)

• Minimal blurring of motion, sports, rivals CRT

• Wide viewing angle, family, approaching 160 degrees

• Old burn-in problems resolved

• Panasonic: 103" plasma, CES 06

• Plasma Display Coalition: Hitachi, LG Electronics, Panasonic, Pioneer, Samsung
      www.plasmadisplaycoalition.org

Rear-Projection Displays

• Getting flatter, less bulky

• DLP, LCD, and LCOS technology instead of CRTs

Front Projection Displays

• Developing option for large screen home theater

• Smaller, brighter projectors

• Better, more reflective screens

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Digital TV Issues

Room Size - Viewing distance

• Need larger space for viewing distance to appreciate large displays
• Not so close as to see the dots on the screen
• Not so far back to lose immersion experience from picture filling the field of view
• Viewing distance should be three times the height of the screen
      - 40" screen around 5 to 10 feet
      - 60" screen around 7 to 15 feet
• For normal TV viewing distances (8-10 feet)
      - Need ~ 42" screen to see improved quality of 720p (beyond 480)
      - Need ~ 60" screen to see improved quality of 1080p

Resolution

• Not all digital televisions are high-definition

• Not all flat-panel displays are high-definition

• HDTV is broadcast in two main resolutions: 
      - 720p  (1280 x 720, progressive) 
      - 1080i (1920 x 1080, interlaced)

• HDTV is 16:9 widescreen aspect ratio

• Smaller LCD displays may be SD (standard definition), at much lower 640 x 480 resolution (old PC VGA)
      or EDTV (extended definition), at 1024 x 768 (small even for today's laptops)

Scaling

• Multiple digital TV formats, need scaling to match source to physical display 
      Resolution, frame rate, and interlaced / progressive
• Scale the input picture format to native resolution of display, actual pixels
• Convert between interlaced and progressive formats -- fields and frames
• Convert 24 fps film material (inverse telecine), 
      30 fps progressive, 60 fps interlaced (deinterlace)

• May squish or stretch the signal, frame in black to keep the correct aspect ratio

• High-end theater systems use separate scaling units

Cabling

• Actual display (flat panel) is being decoupled from TV tuner and speakers

• Signals arrive through alternative paths -- off-air, cable, satellite, fiber, DVD, Internet.

• Each path may require a separate box (with its own digital video recorder), provide different kinds of signal

• High-quality video and surround-sound audio can require dedicated cabling for each component

HDMI (High-Definition Multimedia Interface)

• replaces tangle of cables with single cable

• Carries uncompressed digital audio and video

• www.hdmi.org

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Sample HDTV Products

Panasonic

• Plasma display panels (PDPs)
• Panasonic Plasma Concierge toll-free information service,  HD plasma owners
• www.panasonic.com/plasmacentral

Panasonic 150-inch plasma prototype (CES 1/08)

• 8.84 million pixel resolution (2,160 x 4,096)
      more than four times 1080p HD specification (1,080 x 1,920)
• screen size equivalent to nine 50-inch PDPs 
• effective viewing area of 11 ft (3.31 m) (W) x 6 1/4 ft (1.87 m) (H).
• same brightness as 103-inch PDP
• press release

Panasonic 50-inch thin plasma prototype (CES 1/08)

• super-thin 50-inch Plasma TV, 24.7mm (less than one inch) 
      one-fourth as thin as previous plasma TVs
• weighs 22 kg, half the weight of previous models
• “Wireless HD” 
•  

Philips

Philips Design Collection  (CES 1/08)

        Philips 7600

Holistic and iconic design across complete home entertainment range

In the past, home entertainment solutions were boxes and devices providing consumers with an entertainment experience. What used to be a consumer electronic device is now a signature piece of furniture that helps define personal style and space.

At the core of the Philips Design Collection are the innovative and state-of-the art designs taking once-familiar objects and giving them a new sense of intimacy. The design language has moved away from a 'masculine technology box' to a smoother, more feminine approach that integrates seamlessly into the home environment.

"With this Design Collection, being minimalist, emotional and recognizable, we've created a solution that focuses on the consumer's needs to deliver simple and meaningful fulfillment. We have brought a new sense of elegance, innovation and sophistication to consumer products not yet seen in the consumer electronics sector."

Philips Ambilight Flat-Panel TVs

• Soft light glow that creates a unique ambiance in the room, can promote more relaxed TV viewing

• Flat-panel TVs use multicolor lights behind the edges of the display 

• Cast color around the display, change with the picture to duplicate the colors being displayed on-screen

• www.flattv.philips.com

JVC

JVC super-slim Full HD TVs 

• Thinnest LCD TVs with built-in tuners, thinner bezel
• Weigh less and consume less power than conventional LCD TVs
• Cabinet that across most of width measures 1.5" deep (39 mm) 
      Maximum depth 2.9" (74mm) at panel’s center
• New slim LCD panel backlight unit is 0.79 inches (20mm) deep and 0.51 inches (13mm) wide
      40% smaller in depth and bezel width compared to a conventional LCD backlight
      Weighs only 26.4 lbs (12kg), consumes a mere 145W.
• 42" LT-42SL89 and 46"  LT-46SL89, both 1920 x 1080p, available early summer 2008
• www.jvc.com

JVC LCD TVs with a built-in iPod dock  (CES 1/08)

• TeleDock flip-down iPod dock at the base of the set
• Direct connection for playback through the TV

LG Electronics

• 42-inch Plasma HDTV w/ OCAP (42PC1DN)

• LG 50PY2DR -- 50" Plasma Integrated HDTV / Built-in DVR : $4699

LG - Calibration (CES 1/08)

• LG LCD HDTVs - Intelligent Sensor, automatically adjusts picture based on room lighting conditions
      Senses brightness and color characteristics of light, adjusts several picture settings
• Content specific A/V Modes to adjust picture and audio quality 
      Three pre-set modes, cinema, game and sports
• LG Expert Mode to perform detailed calibrations
      Professional-grade Image Science Foundation customized calibration configuration (ISFccc)
      On all 1080p LCD and plasma HDTVs
• PG60 series plasma HDTVs received THX Display Certification

Pioneer

Project KURO - Extreme contrast  (CES 1/08)

• First plasma that can achieve absolute black with no measurable light emitting from the display
• www.pioneerelectronics.com

Project KURO - Advanced design concept  (CES 1/08)

• 9 mm thick - the world's thinnest in 50-inch class
• Extremely light weight of 18.6 kg / 41 lbs

Samsung

Samsung  Series 7 - Touch Of Color  (CES 1/08)

• Elegant new TOC design (Touch Of Color) 
• New molding technology, clean, smooth finish infused with a hint of color
• Available April 2008: 50, 58, 63 inches
• www.samsung.com

Samsung Series 7 LCD TVs with GalleryPlayer  (CES 1/08)

• HD Lifestyle Imagery - rights-protected, high definition imagery
• 45 content partners, Metropolitan Museum of Art, National Geographic, Getty Images, The New York Times
• www.galleryplayer.com

Samsung Series 4 plasma HDTV - 3D-ready  (CES 1/08)

• Series 4 flat-panel plasma HDTV - first 3D-ready, flat-panel HDTV

Sharp

Sharp Prototype LCD TVs  (CES 1/08)

• 52” screen size, 2 cm thickness  (main display section; 2.9 cm at the thickest part)
      contrast ratio 3,000:1, power consumption half today’s LCD TVs

Sharp AQUOS Net  (CES 1/08)

• Internet content and remote diagnostics for AQUOS LCD TVs
• Customized Web-based content 
• Configure “widgets”  - full screen or split-screen
      WeatherBug, NASDAQ stocks, uclick comic strip, GalleryPlayer, Traffic.com
• Real-time customer support - advisors connect remotely to TV to adjust settings and optimize picture quality 
• Access information - FAQs on HDMI , HDTV, user manual, What’s New
• PLC (Powerline Communication) adapters utilizing existing electrical wiring
• www.sharpusa.com/about/AboutPressRelease/0,1130,C710,00.html

Sony

Sony XEL-1 11" OLED TV  (CES 1/08)

• 11" XEL-1, about 3 millimeters thin
• First Organic Light Emitting Diode (OLED) TV in U.S.
• OLED technology turns light emitted from the organic materials layer on/off when electric current applied
• Rapid response times for smooth motion
• Light-emitting structure prevents light emission when reproducing shades of black
      very deep blacks, contrast ratio over 1,000,000:1
• No backlight or separate light source - extremely low power levels
      up to 40% more efficient per panel inch compared with aconventional 20-inch LCD panel
• Introduced 1/08 - $2500
• www.sony.com

Westinghouse Digital

Westinghouse Digital - TX Full 1080p (11/07)

• end 07 - Westinghouse Digital TX Series -- full 1080p LCD HDTVs 

• Connectors include four HDMI, two Component, plus Composite, S-Video, and VGA.

• 42 inch - 42.2 x 27.0 inches square, 5.5 inches thick, 61.1 pounds (without base)

• From 42 inch (estimated retail $1,399) to 52 inch for $2,499

• www.westinghousedigital.com

Also TV/DVD combo models with an integrated HDTV tuner and front slot-load DVD/CD player

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