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CEDIA 2008 roundup

by Darren Murph, posted Sep 7th 2008 at 1:00PM


CEDIA 2008 was a whirlwind of new projectors, HDTVs and all sorts of other wares that home theater freaks just love. As always, we were here in the Mile High City covering every minute, but we completely understand if you missed anything. Just in case, we've compiled a summary of what all happened here in Denver, and make sure you head on past the break for the rest.

Hands-ons

Hands-on: Sony shows off prototype 400-disc Blu-ray Mega Changer
Hands-on with LG's BD300 Netflix / Blu-ray deck
Hands-on with the THX-certified QuietHome door
Hands-on with Niveus Media's Denali, Rainier and Cargo media wares
Hands-on with Sony's SXRD BRAVIA VPL-VW70 and VPL-HW10 projectors
Hands-on with Hitachi's 1.5-inch thick plasma prototype
Hands-on / a look within Pioneer's Elite BDP-09FD Blu-ray player
Hands-on with Toshiba's SRT REGZA HDTVs (and other old crap)
Eyes-on with Sony's BDP-S5000ES Blu-ray player

Continue reading CEDIA 2008 roundup

Hands-on with Hitachi's 1.5-inch thick plasma prototype

by Darren Murph, posted Sep 4th 2008 at 6:49PM Featured Story


Hitachi's 1.5-inch thick 50-inch plasma wasn't exactly front and center like we had imagined, but it was there garnering stares nonetheless. Donning a glossy white finish and displaying nothing but floral arrangements, the set looked pretty good (though not great) in terms of visual quality. The design, however, was simply stunning. And just as promised, we did include the obligatory iPhone comparison, though you'll have to account for the Belkin skin when drawing your conclusions. Give it a peek in the gallery below.

Hitachi delivering UltraThin 1.5-inch thick 50-inch plasma

by Richard Lawler, posted Sep 4th 2008 at 9:50AM


Hitachi's "UltraThin" line of TVs might not be the skinniest on the block anymore, but a new top of the line 50-inch plasma (CES prototype pictured above) keeps the size crown in their camp. Expect the Thin is In tagline to be a centerpiece for Hitachi's booth at CEDIA, we'll try to get some specs and in person pics (including the ubiquitous iPhone comparo) when we stop by later.

Hitachi reveals Blu-ray / HDD / SDHC DZ-BD10HA high-def camcorder

by Darren Murph, posted Aug 11th 2008 at 10:44AM


Far from being the first Blu-ray hybrid camcorder from Hitachi, the DZ-BD10HA ups the ante even further by tossing in a third format. Yep, this Full HD (1,920 x 1,080) camcorder can record to BD, SDHC or the 30GB hard drive. Additionally, you'll find a 7-megapixel CMOS sensor, push-of-a-button dubbing from HDD / SDHC to Blu-ray, a host of editing functions, a transcoding feature to transfer HD videos to vanilla DVDs, face detection and optical image stabilization for good measure. The pain? $1,099 when it lands in North America next month.

Hitachi rolls out 47-inch Wooo UT models in Japan

by Steven Kim, posted Aug 6th 2008 at 1:38PM

Hitachi Wooo UT47-XP770 and UT47-XV700
Expect to see these new 47-inch Wooo LCD varietals outside of Japan sometime, but for now these are Japan-only. Up for grabs are the UT47-XP770 and UT47-XV700 models, with nary a difference in the panels themselves. Sure, the XP770 model comes in black or white trim, but what really sets the models apart is the 250GB HD DVR included in the XP770 tuner module. For now, at least, Hitachi is sticking with the iVDR media format for both the XP770 and XV700 models. All around, a pretty boring spec bump in the series whose name is supposed to illicit excitement. The specs that you loved in the Wooo lineup before haven't changed: 35-mm svelte profile, 1920 x 1080 pixel count and Wooonet connectivity. The UT47-XP770 will go for ¥480,000 ($4,400), but we couldn't find pricing on the UT47-XV700 model.

Hitachi's new DZ-BD10H camcorder pairs Blu-ray with a 30GB HDD

by Paul Miller, posted Jul 24th 2008 at 9:42AM


We're not saying it can't be done, but you should have some considerable trouble managing to run out of room for your expertly-shot, highly-narrative vacation antics with Hitachi's new DZ-BD10H camcorder, which records 1080p HD video to Blu-ray discs or to its built-in 30GB hard drive. There's even an SD slot, which we aren't positive you can record video to, but it's a fair guess. Other specs include a 2.7-inch LCD and a 10x optical zoom. Price should be around $1,500 when it hits Japan on August 9, but no solid word on a US berth just yet.

AMIMON, Motorola, Sony, et al. join hands on wireless HD standard

by Darren Murph, posted Jul 23rd 2008 at 12:49AM


Be still, our hearts! After watching the wireless HD / HDMI sector fumble along for years on end, a team of mega-corps have finally agreed to push their self-interests aside and collaborate on a standard. WHDI creator AMIMON has joined forces with Motorola, Samsung, Sony and Sharp in order to form "a special interest group to develop a comprehensive new industry standard for multi-room audio, video and control connectivity" utilizing the aforementioned Wireless Home Digital Interface technology. Reportedly, the group will have a standard completed before 2009 dawns, but we all know how easily these things can get pushed under the rug. Nevertheless, the overriding goal here is to "enhance the current WHDI technology to enable wireless streaming of uncompressed HD video and audio between CE devices such as LCD and plasma HDTVs, multimedia projectors, AV receivers, DVD and BD players, set-top-boxes, game consoles and PCs." A tall order, sure, but one we're elated to see taken on. Full release (and promo spot) after the break.

Continue reading AMIMON, Motorola, Sony, et al. join hands on wireless HD standard

Sony, others pitted in a Japan vs. S.Korea OLED showdown

by Thomas Ricker, posted Jul 10th 2008 at 3:07AM

Several Japanese tech giants are teaming together today in a quest to make 40-inch and larger OLED panels for televisions. Sony, Toshiba, Panasonic, Sharp and others will participate under a joint development project initiated by the Japanese government. All of this is of course meant to help the Japanese companies compete with South Korea's chaebols, particularly Samsung and LG, as the industry giants maneuver for an advantage over the next, next-generation flat panel technology to dominate the living room.

[Via OLED-info]

Plasma Display Coalition emphasizes picture quality

by Steven Kim, posted Jun 20th 2008 at 9:32PM

Plasma Display Coalition emphasizes picture quality
Don't know how this one slipped by us, but better later than never. The Plasma Display Coalition, made up of Hitachi, LG, Panasonic and Pioneer, recently surveyed plasma owners to find out what drew them to the technology. No big surprise in the results -- 98-percent cited "excellent" or "good" picture quality. Taking the lesson to heart, the coalition has put together a brochure for retail trainers entitled "Plasma HDTV: Simply the Best Picture." As LCD increases its dominance, manufacturers will have to justify keeping plasma displays in their lineups. The titles for "thinnest" and "greenest" are out of reach; so for plasma's sake, let's hope the coalition members leave aside "biggest" bragging rights in favor of "best PQ for normal people."

Hitachi brings up the rear with its CP-WX625 LCD projector

by Darren Murph, posted Jun 20th 2008 at 7:52AM

Although the flood has calmed to a trickle, we're still seeing a few more new projectors light up at InfoComm. The latest of which is Hitachi's CP-WX625, a WXGA (1,366 x 768) beamer packing an HDMI socket, 4,000 ANSI lumens, integrated speaker, side-mounted hybrid filter, a lamp good for 3,000 hours or so of PowerPoint projecting and a handful of other inputs more likely to be found in the boardroom / classroom. Mum's the word on a price or availability, but after one look at Samsung's SP-A800B, it's hard to really worry over units like this.

Japan's top rental chain launches Tsutaya TV HD download-on-demand video service

by Richard Lawler, posted Jun 6th 2008 at 9:02PM


Thanks to the fiber optic connections that connect nearly 12 million of Japan's 48 million households, video rental giant Tsutaya is probably laughing at Netflix's silly set-top box as it launches its Tsutaya TV HD download-on-demand rental service. Based on the acTVila service (a joint venture supported by Sony, Matsushita (Panasonic), Sharp, Toshiba and Hitachi, movies can download directly to connected HDTVs. Transformers, Heroes, Lost and Desperate Housewives will be among the first titles available in a library expected to grow to 2,000 titles by year-end, targeting older customers between their 40s and 50s, as opposed to the company's main in-store customers in their 20s. Full-length flicks run 735 yen (about $7), with a 48-hour rental period. Sure would be nice to have a standard feature set for digital downloads on this side of the Pacific, our jealousy threat level is: high.

Read - Japan's top film rental chain offers high-definition downloads
Read - Tsutaya To Offer 2,000 Video Titles On Demand Via Internet TV

Hitachi's UWB-based TP-WL700H wirelessly transmits HD to Wooo HDTVs

by Darren Murph, posted Jun 1st 2008 at 12:09PM


Funny -- just this week we heard Hitachi President Kazuo Furukawa make mention of a forthcoming Wooonet networking scheme for its Wooo HDTVs, and now we're getting a few more details on potentially related peripherals. Analog Devices has just announced that its Advantiv technology is playing a huge role in the TP-WL700H. Said device is an ultra-wideband (UWB) based wireless transmission hub, which is currently available exclusively in Japan and designed to bring high-definition material to Wooo HDTVs sans extra cabling. There's not a peep about the unit ever heading Stateside, but given that everyone and their second cousin once removed is wondering when wireless HD will ever take off here, we'd sure like to see it make the journey.

[Image courtesy of Impress]

Hitachi shows off pair of new CinemaStar hard drives

by Steven Kim, posted May 30th 2008 at 11:22PM

Hitachi CinemaStar hard drivesJust after Hitachi President Kazuo Furukawa announced that the company is digging in with its flat panel and hard drive business lines, two new CinemaStar hard drives get a June release date. First up is the 2.5-inch, 320GB CinemaStar C5K320, with SmoothStream to keep your video flowing, um, smoothly. If you need more capacity, there's the 3.5-inch, 500GB CinemaStar 5K500 (not to be confused with the 2.5-inch TravelStar 5K500), which is Hitachi's first drive with CoolSpin to limit current draw. We've never had a problem putting standard desktop hard drives to multimedia use, but limiting heat/power draw and acoustic noise are two area that you should factor in for drives destined for living room or bedroom placement; so if poring over specs like bels and Watts isn't your thing, maybe consider an "approved" video drive like these.

Hitachi to forge ahead with flat-panel, HDD businesses

by Darren Murph, posted May 28th 2008 at 11:56PM


Hitachi, like most every other flat-panel producer out there, has hit some shaky ground of late. Still, the outfit isn't planning to ditch its bread-and-butter anytime soon, and that's straight from the mouth of President Kazuo Furukawa. During a recent corporate strategy meeting, the exec affirmed that it would continue to position its flat-panel TV and hard drive divisions as "core businesses," as he saw promise in the fact that "the flat-panel TV market is growing on a global basis." He also made mention of a "Wooonet" networking service for TVs, which would reportedly get going next month. Sure sounds inviting, yeah?

[Via Reuters]

Hitachi intros DZ-WR90 Blu-ray burner for hard drive-based camcorders

by Donald Melanson, posted May 20th 2008 at 4:45PM

It looks like those wanting to churn out some high-definition media away from their computers now have a new option to consider courtesy of Hitachi, which has just introduced its DZ-WR90 Blu-ray burner designed to be used with hard drive-based camcorders equipped with an eSATA port (which Hitachi just happens to make). That combo will apparently let you burn three hours of full-res footage onto a Blu-ray disc in one and half hours flat or, if you prefer, you can also cram an hour of 720 x 480 video onto a plain old DVD. No word on a price just yet, but you can apparently look for this one to hit Japan in mid-July.

[Via Slash Gear]




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