Friday, July 29, 2005

LCD Panel Prices Dropping: iSuppli

Market researcher iSuppli said yesterday that 42-inch LCD panel prices dropped below $1,000 for the first time, and hit $950. The firm predicted that holiday shoppers could see 42-inch LCD flat-panel TVs for $2,500 -- which would make it extremely competitive with similar sized plasma displays. Read more here:

http://news.com.com/LCD+television+prices+set+to+drop/2100-1041_3-5809065.html?tag=nefd.top

Manufacturer Roundup: Panasonic Healthy, Sony Hurting

Sony and Panasonic parent Matsushita both reported corporate earnings this week, with Panasonic posting strong demand for flat-panel TVs (mostly plasmas) while Sony said that it would cut more jobs in its TV division as it struggles to change its focus from CRTs to flat-panel LCD displays. Sony's TV division lost $348 million in the June quarter. Sony's problems extend from CRT to LCD, however, as the company lowered by 17% the number of LCD displays it expects to ship this year.

According to Reuters, Matsushita/Panasonic now has a commanding 40% share of the U.S. plasma market, and an amazing 70% share of the Japanese market.

Read the full story here:

http://news.com.com/Sony+posts+loss,+Matsushita's+profit+up/2100-1047_3-5808694.html?tag=fd_nbs_ent&tag=nl.e433

Thursday, July 28, 2005

HDTV vs. EDTV

I was interviewed last week by Bill Lammers, the Cleveland Plain-Dealer's tech columnist, for a piece he was writing on HD vs. ED. Specifically, a reader wanted to know if an EDTV (enhanced-definition TV) was money well-spent. In my opinion, it used to be but probably isn't anymore, and here's why.

Let's use the example of Panasonic plasmas, since they happen to be the market leader. Panasonic's 42-inch EDTV plasma (model TH42PD50U) retails for about $2,250 at CircuitCity.com, while the 42-inch HDTV (model TH42PX50U) goes for $3,325 -- 48% more than the ED model. The picture resolution on the ED unit is 480 progressive lines (480p) compared to 768 progressive lines (768p) on the HD -- which equates to 60% more lines. Now will your eye be able to tell that the resolution is 60% better? Maybe not. And resolution is certainly not the only criteria to examine when deciding what to buy.

However, consider that the industry trend is toward even better resolution --1,080 progressive lines (1080p) -- which will be the industry standard for next-generation DVDs and eventually, for broadcast programming. Also consider that whatever you buy, you should plan on having it for awhile. $2,000 or $3,000 for a television is no small purchase, and I'd advise you to future-proof it as much as possible. Many plasmas these days are rated at 60,000 hours, which means that if you watched them for 5 hours a day, they'd last for 33 years. You'd probably want a new one before then due to the advent of better technology, but it's like buying a PC -- you'll never regret buying the one with the bigger hard drive, upgraded memory or faster processor.

Bottom line -- buy the best digital TV you can afford, and if you can justify spending $2,500 for a luxury item like this, you can probably spend a little more to get something that you'll be happy with for years to come.

Read Bill's full column here:

http://www.cleveland.com/living/plaindealer/index.ssf?/base/living/1122543360121290.xml&coll=2

HDNet, CinemaNow Team Up for HD VOD

CinemaNow, the online video on demand service, announced Wednesday that has inked a deal with HDNet. From the release:

"CinemaNow, Inc., the leader in video-on-demand for broadband, today announced an agreement with HDNet, the leading high-definition television network,to make several unique titles from HDNet's original high-definition library available on a download-to-own basis via the CinemaNow Web site (http://www.cinemanow.com/). This marks the first time that HDNet has made its distinct library of high-definition programming available on-demand via an online broadband service.

"Among the content being made available on CinemaNow are over 100 episodes from HDNet's vast library of original series, including "Across America," "Get Out!" and several other HDNet specials. As part of the agreement, users of CinemaNow will be able to download permanent copies of HDNet's programming for unlimited playback on the device they download it to. The high-definition versions will be available in Windows Media Video HD."

Is the Game in HDTV?

HD Sports Guide is a good reference for anyone looking for information on which sporting events are offered in HD on which networks. Check it out: http://www.hdsportsguide.com

Sony Shipping New LCDs

Sony said Monday that it is now shipping two new LCD flat-panel displays: The KLV-S32A10 and KLV-S26A10 models round out Sony's "S" series, which also includes models ranging in size from 15 to 23 inches already on the market. According to the company, the picture performance is supported results from a panel resolution of 1366 x 768. The chassis has a high performance, one-chip video processor, Sony's Dynamic Picture® processor circuitry, and CineMotion® Reverse 3:2 Pulldown technology to insure a bright, crisp, high contrast image.

MSRP is about $2,000 for the 32-inch model and $1,500 for the 26-incher.

We're Back!

After spending much of the summer on vacation in Europe and evaluating various business models for my BuyingHDTV.com site, I'm happy to announce that the 1080eye blog is now online again. Please send any feedback on topics you'd like to see covered to mark@buyingHDTV.com.