Today's High-Def Headlines

Funai To Take Over Philips U.S TV Distribution - TWICE
Royal Philips Electronics and Funai Electric of Japan said Tuesday they have reached a brand-licensing agreement under which Funai will assume responsibility for the sourcing, distribution, marketing and sales of all Philips’ consumer television activities in the United States and Canada. The five-year minimum agreement, which takes effect Sept. 1, 2008, will give Philips royalty payments in exchange for Funai’s right to exclusively use the Philips and Magnavox brand names for its consumer television offerings in North America.

Verizon Defends 'Uncompressed HDTV' Ads
Verizon Communications is standing by its claim that FiOS TV delivers “uncompressed” high-definition channels, while acknowledging that the video it distributes to customers is already compressed by programmers. Verizon is running a TV ad campaign claiming that FiOS TV delivers “pure uncompressed high definition,” touting the supposedly superior picture quality available through the service over cable.

Mitsubishi Unveils ‘Premium’ TV Focus - TWICE
In an effort to stay out of the price wars in the entry and mid-range TV businesses, Mitsubishi showed dealers and the press here last week its 2008 DLP rear-projection and LCD TV lineups that will all be positioned as “premium” lines for its retail partners. In total, the company showed three 1080p DLP TV lines and three 1080p LCD TV lines, featuring new advanced features and cabinet styling. It also gave a sneak peek of products slated for distribution later in the year, including the previously announced laser-lamp-based 1080p DLP rear-projection line, which Mitsubishi said it will call LaserVue.

Playing To Win On HDTV - Forbes
Videogames aren't just for kids--they're a national pastime. Not surprisingly, HDTV manufacturers like Sharp and Samsung are eager to help. Over the past year, they've been aggressively courting gamers by promoting high-definition televisions specially optimized to enhance videogaming. Is it all marketing hype? When are the features worth the price?

Verizon to Cease Broadcasting Analog Channels on FiOS - CED Magazine
Verizon said it will cease broadcasting analog channels on its FiOS TV service. Verizon is making the move in advance of the federal mandate to phase out analog television broadcasts in February 2009. The telco said that by eliminating analog signals now, it will avoid customer confusion later. In fact, Verizon had cut a deal with the FCC to cease analog transmission prior to the 2009 date in exchange for a waiver exempting it from the ban on set-top boxes (STBs) with integrated security, which was put into effect in July.