Hitachi Takes Wraps Off New RPTV, Flat-Panels

Hitachi announced today the introduction of its 2005 model line, which includes three new LCoS, seven new LCD rear-projection, eight plasma displays and four LCD flat-panels. You can read about all the specs and pricing here.

Plasma Sales Up 87% in Q1

DisplaySearch has released data showing that total plasma display panel (PDP) sales were up 87% in Q1 '05 vs. the same quarter last year. Total shipments in the period were 904,000.

The firm also reported that average street prices of plasma displays are down 25% from last year, to $3,080. The decline was 7% in the last quarter alone as compared to Q4 '04.

Panasonic retained its number one position in worldwide plasma market share, followed by LG Electronics, Samsung, Philips and Pioneer. The latter displaced Sony for the #5 spot.

79% of all new plasma displays sold were in the 42-43" size range. Notably, 56% of all plasmas sold were 42" ED models, with 42-43" HD units comprising just 23% of the market.

The full release is here.

Toshiba to Up Plasma Investment

Toshiba is increasing the investment in its new plasma manufacturing plant by nearly $100 million in an effort to increase efficiency and production. Reuters has the full story here.

Pics of Samsung's New OLED

CNET has posted photos of Samsung's prototype OLED.

Arizona Diamondbacks Now in HD

The Business Journal of Phoenix reports that a 17-game package of the Arizona Diamondbacks' home games will be shown this season in high-def via Fox Sports Net Arizona on Cox Cable, beginning Wednesday night against my San Diego Padres.

Glad to see the D'backs jumping on board the HD train. For the record, all of the Pads home games the last two seasons have been shown in high-def, as well as select road games against NL West rivals like Arizona.

Toshiba Intros 1080p DLPs

Toshiba announced at its dealer in Albuquerque show the launch of its new 1080p DLP models. The new Cinema Series and TheaterWide product lines will feature three DLPs featuring the TI HD4 chip with full 1080p resolution, in addition to three models with the existing 720p chip. The 1080p DLPs will be available starting this summer in 56-, 62- and 72-inch versions. MSRPs will range from $3,499.99 to $5,299.99. The full release is here.

ABC's "Good Morning America" to Go HD

The New York Post is reporting that ABC's "Good Morning America" program will debut in high-definition this fall, becoming the first major nationwide news program to make the HD leap. Read the full story here.

This is obviously just the first of what will be a major transformation in the network news business. CNN is rumored to be seriously working on such a transition and given the declining number of viewers who watch the "Big Three" network anchors, it's only a matter of time before we see the smiling mugs of Peter Jennings, Brian Williams and Bob Schieffer in HD.

Verizon's FiOS TV Gets Wealth-y

WealthTV announced today that it has inked a carriage deal with Verizon for the telco's upcoming FiOS TV service. From the news release:

"WealthTV, the premiere lifestyle and entertainment network, today announced an affiliate agreement for linear programming carriage on Verizon’s FiOS TV service when it launches later this year. Under the agreement, Verizon’s high-definition programming lineup will include WealthTV in HD as well as standard digital service. In addition, WealthTV will make signature programs available through Verizon’s video on demand product offering.

"The Verizon announcement comes on the heels of a string of successful launches that include Charter Communications, Armstrong, Davidson, Metrocast, Service Electric, US Cable, Wide Open West, and until recently, Voom. WealthTV features a wide range of family-friendly, aspirational programming from exotic travel to entertaining and educational shows all designed to have broad appeal."

Sony Takes Wraps Off New HD Camcorder

Sony announced Monday that it has released what it is calling the world's smallest and lightest high definition consumer camcorder with full HD resolution based on HDV 1080i. Sony also says that it is one of few camcorders, in fact, the only HD one, that allows you to record high-definition video and take a 1-megapixel digital still image at the same time. The new HD camcorder will go on sale in July; check out the above link for the full specs and details.

Best Buy Cuts Price of HD TiVo by 30%

In its Sunday circular this week, Best Buy is advertising the high-def TiVo from DIRECTV for $699, a $300 savings off the regular list price of $999. The price cut takes effect tomorrow (Tuesday the 17th) and also includes three months free of DIRECTV's HD programming package, which is normally $10.99/mo.

It's about time the price started to come down on this device. For hardcore TiVo lovers, it's a must-have if you're into high-def, but with competing HD-DVRs from cable companies going for $10 or $15 a month with no upfront purchase required, it's getting tough to justify an HD TiVo for several hundred bones. This also puts DIRECTV more in line with DISH Network's HD-DVR, which goes for $699 as well.

CEA Cuts DTV Sales Forecasts; Blames FCC, Broadcasters

Consumer Electronics head Gary Shapiro in a letter to Congressman Joe Barton today expressed strong support for a hard analog cut-off date, citing among other factors the low percentage of Americans who rely on over-the-air broadcast signals for their primary TV viewing. Here's just a tidbit of what Shapiro said; you can read the rest here:

"Of the nearly 110 million American homes with at least one TV, 68% receive a cable signal and 22% receive a DBS signal. Our research shows that roughly 3% receive both cable and DBS. In total, 87% of American homes will have access to cable or satellite (and thus network and local feeds). This means that if the cut off occurred today, less than 13% of the population of 110 million TV households would not have access to a broadcast signal through cable or satellite (though they could certainly start subscribing)."

Interestingly, Shapiro managed to get in swipes at both the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) and the nation's broadcasters, blaming both for the slow transition from analog to digital TV. As such, the CEA has actually cut its DTV/HDTV sales forecasts, now estimating that 14.8 million DTV sets will be sold in '05, slightly more than double the 7.1 million that were sold last year. According to Shapiro, "we had based those [earlier] projections on early FCC action on the tuner mandate petition and extensive promotion of cablecards, neither of which came to pass." Slow moving bureaucrats!

CEA's newly downward-revised sales projections are based on three factors, one of which is that "National Groups for Local Broadcasters Will Continue to Do Little or Nothing to Promote Free Over the Air Digital Television." Take that, NAB!

I encourage those of you with any interest in the politics and policy of DTV and HDTV to read the full letter. It is obviously biased towards the interests of the nation's electronics manufacturers that the CEA represents, as is anything the CEA, NAB or NCTA sends to a lawmaker or regulatory body. Remember that you have to take it with a large grain of salt and once in awhile you can actually learn something -- about the attitudes of the debate's biggest stakeholders, if nothing else.

Federal Budget Analysts Wary of '06 DTV Switch

The Congressional Budget Office (CBO) is apprehensive that a Dec. 31, 2006 cutoff from analog to digital television broadcasting may lessen the amount of revenue generated by a sale of the analog spectrum to wireless telecom carriers. That revenue, which a deficit-ridden federal government would very much like to maximize, could also be used to partially subsidize analog-to-digital converters for low-income and/or rural consumers who utilize over-the-air TV signals rather than cable or satellite but who won't have yet upgraded to HDTV or have digital broadcasts available in their area.

Multichannel News reports that Senate Commerce Committee majority staff director Lisa Sutherland told attendeees at the Cable Television Public Affairs Association conference last week that "just from purely a budget perspective, [the CBO said] the later the digital transition occurs, the more funding would be made available to the federal government through the auction process."

Verizon Teams Up with NFL Network for FiOS

Verizon said last week that its FiOS fiber video group has reached a carriage agreement with the NFL Network for that channel, NFL on Demand and NFL Network HD. FiOS now has high-def carriage deals in place with Universal HD, Showtime HD, Starz HD and the NFL Network HD.

Sampo Intros LCDs, Plasma

Sampo on Monday announced the availability of three new flat-panel HDTVs: a 26-inch and 32-inch LCD and a 50-inch plasma. Here are some of the details from the company:

"The Sampo Professional family of LCD and plasma displays incorporates a host of innovative features that add versatility and function to support the often demanding video display requirements of users in the commercial, government and education sectors. In addition to standard RS-232 control ports, the new LME-26X8 and LME-32X8 displays are the first in the industry to incorporate a Web server and an RJ-45 Ethernet control port to provide additional network control options. When connected via Ethernet or wirelessly to an existing or standalone network infrastructure, multiple network-addressable Sampo Professional displays can be controlled individually or collectively from a single computer or PDA.

The LME-26X8, LME-32X8 and PME-50X7, which are covered by Sampo Professional's industry-leading two-year onsite warranty, are available now through value added resellers nationwide at list prices of $1,499, $1,999 and $4,499 respectively."

Kreisen Unveils 32" LCD

Kreisen announced last week the availability of their newest 32-inch LCD flat-panel HDTV, the KR-321T. The new model retails for $1,499 and replaces the previous KR-320T. According to the manufacturer:

"Featuring a slim new design, the KR-321T is enclosed in a lustrous silver casing with black inlays. The dramatic modern styling and sleek edges beautifully complement any décor. Behind the new skin is an LG-Philips 32-Inch LCD panel that sports a remarkable 1200:1 contrast ratio and an extremely bright high-quality picture (600 cd/m2). With new electronics, the new KR-321T has an enticing 8 millisecond response time and a plethora of built in features like picture in picture, 3D comb filter, built in tuner, and enough inputs for even the most avid home theater aficionado."

More info is at www.kreisen.com.

Panasonic Kicks Off Plasma Price War

Panasonic has told the retailers that sell its plasmas that it is cutting its prices by 25% to 36% in an effort to boost market share and increase sales. Here are the details:

• The price of the 37-inch HD plasma has been cut to $3,000 from $4,000 (25% decrease)
• The price of the 42-inch HD plasma has been cut to $3,500 from $5,500 (36% decrease)
• The price of the 50-inch HD plasma has been cut to $5,000 from $7,000 (29% decrease)

Investors Business Daily has the full story here.

Plasma and LCD prices have been on a steady decline over the last year or so, but these price reductions from Panasonic are by far the most aggressive we've seen, particularly from a major manufacturer with a good reputation for quality plasma displays. If you're in the market for a new PDP, the Panasonics at these reduced price points are certainly worth close consideration.

UPDATE: DISH Network Charging $5 Add'l for VOOM Nets

As an update to a piece I wrote earlier this week, it turns out that DISH Network is charging $5 a month for the 10 VOOM HD channels that it announced it was carrying late last week. A prospective customer had told me that it was $15 a month, but it turns out that figure included the $10 (actually $9.99) for the regular DISH HD Pak.

So just to clear things up, DISH is charging $9.99 for its HD Pak and an additional $5 a month for the 10 VOOM channels. It's also running a special where new HD customers get the first 6 months of the HD Pak free (but not the VOOM channels).

I apologize for the error...

LG Intros First Plasmas With Integrated HD-DVR

LG Electronics said this morning that it has launched the industry's first plasma TVs with integrated high-definition DVRs. Available in 50- and 60-inch models, the plasmas feature a 160 GB HD-DVR built into the cabinet that is capable of recording up to 13 hours of HD programming or 63 hours of digital standard-def programming. The DVRs incorporate an automatic time-shift feature, which continuously records in one-hour intervals. Other features include slow motion rewind and forward capabilities and instant replay. Viewers are also able to organize recorded programs and set up repeat recordings of their favorite show.

The plasmas feature LG's fifth-generation ATSC VSB/QAM tuner, which receives terrestrial digital HDTV and unscrambled digital cable, as well as analog broadcast and cable tuners. They are also digital cable ready through the use of CableCARDs. Another feature is an integrated 9-in-2 multi memory card reader, allowing users to view still images and listen to digital music, such as MP3 files, through the display. Combined with the DVR, users can store digital photos or music from their digital camera or MP3 player onto the hard drive via nine different formats of memory cards, files that can further be organized and saved for future viewing and listening. The DVR also is capable of creating a music photo album, allowing for stored photos to be accompanied with music in a slide show.

The new plasmas, models 50PY2DR and 60PY2DR, utilize LG's proprietary XD engine technology that the company says takes the low resolution of analog signals to near high-definition levels by improving brightness, contrast, detail and enhancing color as well as reducing signal noise. They are built to last 60,000 hours and come with a 5000:1 contrast ratio and 1000 cd/m2 of brightness, in addition to HDMI inputs.

MSRP is $14,999 for the 60-inch model and $7,999 for the 50-inch.

DISH Network Charging Extra for VOOM HD Channels

Not included in its announcement that it is now offering 10 of the former VOOM 21 high-def channels is the fact that DISH Network is charging subscribers an extra $15 a month to receive that programming. A customer who just ordered DISH Network HD service yesterday told me that the $15 a month for the VOOM channels is in addition to the regular DISH HD package that costs $9.99 a month and offers channels such as ESPN HD, HDNet and TNT HD.

It will be interesting to see how many customers jump at the chance to receive more HD programming at an additional monthly fee. I understand that VOOM no doubt needs to recover the license fees it is paying to Rainbow Media to carry the VOOM channels, but $15 a month seems rather steep considering that most DISH customers have never seen or heard of the specific HD channels brought to market by VOOM. In my opinion, the well-known brands like ESPN HD and TNT HD offer more value than the likes of RUSH HD and Gallery HD, so $5-7 a month would seem a more reasonable fee. Time will tell if I'm right...