Toshiba is set to launch the LCD HD TV and set-top box one package in Japan with a one million yen pricetag.
Even though it is known that Japanese consumer-electronics manufacturers are struggling to control development costs and to turn a profit in the face of a never-ending slide in TV prices, Sony and Toshiba continue to push the technology envelope. The Wall Street Journal reported that Toshiba is moving forward with the product launch of a new 55 inch liquid-crystal-display television that is nearly twice as expensive as other LCD TVs on the market. I just reviewed the Samsung 65 inch LCD TV recently that sells for around $6,000.
Top TV & HDTV Deals at Buy.com!

The LCD HDTV will include Toshiba’s “Cell Regza” .  The Cell is short for Cell Broadband engine, a similar chip processor technology to the one in the PS3 (remember the Joint venture with IBM to make the Cell processor?).  This chip is designed with super-computer muscle to churn out intense, high-definition graphics currently on display in the PlayStation 3 videogaming machines. Toshiba says the Cell processor produces sharper video with better definition and color. The Cell Regza will also have LED backlighting, 3D GUI, 3840×2160 resolution, and DLNA streaming capabilities. It will also feature a Blu-ray recorder to go along with the 3TB hard drive.  Backlighting and LED TVs are covered in the LCDTV review buyers guide. Toshiba highlighted the key feature: the ability to display up to eight high-definition broadcasts at once. Furthermore, the hard drive storage capacity will allow viewers to watch large amounts of recorded television. Toshiba mentioned that the last 26 hours of high-definition video on eight different channels are possible. For those following technology, Toshiba had a competing HD DVD format that lost out to Sony Blu-Ray HD DVD format earlier this year.  

Toshiba says the TV display sets new standards in brightness and color contrast, and the set-top box contains 14 different tuners. High-end TVs have about three. Finally, Toshiba is making sure that this LCD TV becomes the multimedia hub in the home.  The Cell TV can take blurry Internet video from YouTube and refine it to near high-definition quality. Toshiba worked with Norway’s Opera Software to develop a high-definition Web browser for the television.  This is more evidence of how the websurfing will become a standard feature on new LCD TVS over the next decade.

Toshiba has lost money in the TV division with the pull back in consumer spending. It hopes the Cell TV is one way it can differentiate its TVs from the competition. As mentioned, the LCD TV and box will be sold as a package in Japan for about 1 million yen, or $11,000, starting in December 2009.  By comparison, Sony’s high-end 55-inch TV sells at Japanese electronics shops for about 560,000 yen, or about $6,200. The Toshiba TV will be introduced to the Japan market first, but Toshiba expects to start selling the television in the U.S. and Europe  next year.  Toshiba plans to produce 1,000 units a month for the Japanese market.

In terms of marketshare, Toshiba has yet to make ground on the world’s biggest brand-name LCD television companies, trailing Samsung Electronics, LG Electronics, Sharp and Sony.

Popularity: 37% [?]

Samsung have introduced a new model to their LCD 650 Series, in the form of the very large 65-inch Samsung LN65B650. With a 100,000:1 dynamic contrast ratio, Auto Motion Plus 120Hz technology and 4 ms response time, this brilliant 65 in flat-panel LCD HDTV is the largest LCD TV available on the market today. The LCD HDTV brings your movies, games and TV shows to life. The Samsung 65 inch LCD receives mixed reviews. The TV lacks some of the new LCD TV features, it does not have a LED backlight and is only 120Hz. These technologies are discussed in our LCD TV shopping guide.  The LN65B650 does have 1080P progressive scan, the highest quality progressive-scan picture possible from a high-definition source. This helps with fast motion video.

When you first notice the  LN65B650, you are amazed at the large size. It also has 120Hz and internet connectivity, but mainly it’s quite large. Bestcovery.com wrote that this HDTV had deep black color and gave it a 10 of 10 rating, and the average rating across several review sites is 8.6.  The bottomline is that if you may want to wait for a 65 inch TV in LED technology for slimness as well as 240Hz instead of this premium priced LCDTV that is a little behind in the latest and greatest features. Click Here To Shop For Flat Screen TVs at Vanns.com!

Feature Summary:

Built-in HDTV tuner
Add HD-capable antenna to receive over-the-air high-definition broadcasts, where available. Optional set-top box required for high-definition cable or satellite programming.

Wide Color Enhancer 3 and CCFL (Cold Cathode Fluorescent Lamp)
Provide a vast array of colors for vibrant picture quality.

Ultra Clear Panel
Enhances contrast and reduces glare for improved clarity.

Ultrafast 4 ms response time and Auto Motion Plus 120Hz technology
Eliminate blurring and streaking in fast-action scenes and video games.

ENERGY STAR qualified
Designed to use less energy and meets strict energy efficiency guidelines set by the Environmental Protection Agency and U.S. Department of Energy.

2 USB 2.0 ports
For quick connection of a digital camera or other USB device.

PC input
Lets you connect your computer to experience high-resolution images.

4 HDMI inputs
Provide an uncompressed all-digital audio/video link for the highest quality connection and they support copy-protected HD broadcast content.

Inputs
Include 4 HDMI (1 side, 3 rear), 2 component video (rear), 2 composite video (rear), 1 Ethernet (rear) and 1 PC (rear).

Outputs
Include 1 optical audio (rear).

16:9 widescreen aspect ratio
Delivers a cinema-style entertainment experience.

100,000:1 dynamic contrast ratio
For clearer images and more accurate color representation, even during scenes where both bright and dark images are present.

Ultraslim (4-1/5″ deep)
Ideal for wall mounting (with optional mounting kit, not included). Crystal Neck swivel stand for optimal viewing.

2 built-in 15W speakers
With SRS TruSurround HD deliver a virtual surround sound experience.

V-Chip parental controls
Give you the option of blocking undesirable material that you don’t want your kids to see.

Anynet Plus HDMI-CEC function
Allows peripheral devices, such as a DVD player, to be controlled by the TV’s remote.

Media@2.0
Includes Internet@TV for accessing digital entertainment from online TV widgets. DLNA for synching your connectable home electronics and displaying remote content on your TV. Preloaded Content Library for hours of entertainment.

Touch of Color design
Accents the top and bottom edges of the bezel with a unique red tone.

Additional features
Include game mode for optimizing sound and picture quality and picture-in-picture to watch 2 shows at once.

Popularity: 56% [?]

Sony was the first Television Manufacturer to enter the market for organic light emitting diode, or OLED, television with the release of a 11 inch screen TV model XEL-1 in 2007. This TV still comes with a $2500 price tag, currently the same price level as TVs with screens 50 inches and above. That model screen was only 3 millimeters thick. Sony has recently pushed out the launch it its successor, a 27 inch OLED TV, until 2010 due to the cost of manufacturing. According to a recent Wall Street Journal article, Sony has lost money in the LCD TV division since 2004.

Sony tends to push the technological edge, but struggles to turn a profit. Sony TV division lost $1.3 billion in its most recent fiscal year.  Sony was also late to the market with LCD Televisions, and is lagging in market share. Display Search has reported that Sony lost market leadership in televisions to Samsung and LG in terms of revenue. OLED competitors could be LG Electronics and Samsung Electronics, who could assume leadership in the promising technology, touted as the future replacement of liquid-crystal displays (LCD). LG Electronics announced that it will launch a 15-inch OLED TV in Korea and other oversea markets. OLED displays are already designed into mobile phones and smaller MP3 players. OLED displays are thinner and consume less power. They also display color better and respond better to moving images than LCDs. OLED displays do not need a backlight behind the screen, allowing it to be flexible and bendable. Research firm DisplaySearch expects the market for OLED TV to reach 2.33 million units in 2013 compared with estimated 320,000 units in 2011, according to data provided by LG. However, LCD display prices are falling dramatically even while LCD quality improves and is considered the biggest threat to OLED’s future. OLED technology background and features is also covered in the LCD TV Buyers Guide.

Sources: Reuters, Wall Street Journal, Display Search

Popularity: 24% [?]

Just a few years ago, consumers interested in purchasing an HDTV were looking at pricetags that came close to $10,000? As prices for LCD and plasma HDTVs fall due to production capacity expanding for higher glass, flat panel TVs sales continue to climb. You can stand outside many big-box retailers and you’ll see waves of customers rolling TVs to their cars.

If you do searches on facebook or twitter (the new places to do marketing research), you can see that consumers are trying to figure out the LCDTV market when looking to buy a flat panel TV today. Users need to determine what resolution they need, how well the television produces a wide contrast ratio compared to the room lighting, and whether the sound system is adequate, whether you can connect the LCDTV to the internet. There are even new features coming out and heavily marketed, such as LED backlighting, Consumers need to how to separate important features from marketing gimmicks. A LCD HDTV Buying guide that explains some of the features has been recently updated to cover new information about Local dimming.

The LA Times recently reported that LCD TV sales are strong. Despite the weak economy, sales reports indicate that U.S. families continue to upgrade their televisions and are keeping sales of flat-panel HDTVs strong. Trend observers (such as me) is based on several factors: The continued price drops in large sized HDTVs along with competitive price cutting by retailers who want to make room for new models, and the recent switch to all-digital TV signals. The long term trend seems true, consumers are creating a home theater experience that effectively competes with the local movie theater. Movie ticket sales are slower than anticipated as a whole this summer. Evidence that more people are staying at home these days for entertainment.

Discount giant Wal-Mart Stores Inc. has gained market share as consumers have flocked to lower-priced stores for TVs. In the first three months of the year, ISuppli said, 22.3% of U.S. flat-panel purchases were made at Wal-Mart, up from 13.8% in the first quarter of 2008. An example of these amazing LCD TV deals is the SANYO 26 LCD HDTV w Built-in Digital Tuner, DP26649. You can use this link or the banner below to find those “Walmart low prices” people keep talking about in the press.

Popularity: 56% [?]

With the current week having a focus on Earth day and green awareness, the market research firm iSuppli released a survey that showed more than half of all U.S. LCD TV purchasers said environmental issues influenced their decisions in selecting a LCD TV set. 27.5 percent of LCD TV buyers listed green factors as important influences in their purchasing decisions. However, with the increasing market share of LCD TVs in the home, what is happening to old televisions. What is the average consumer doing with the large boxy tv sets when the new flat panel goes on the wall. The concern is the TVs are being dumped into landfills, or collecting in attics due to the lack of recycling centers for old TVs.

So while 23.1 percent of consumers looking to purchase televisions, and looked for green features when buying an LCD TV, a bigger question is if a retailer offered a trade-in program; take in old TV for a new flat panel TV, then would that boost LCD television sales. Since more than half of U.S. LCD TV buyers are paying attention to environmental features, any type of recycling program offered by retailers would be greatly appreciated. Currently, the most understood green feature is Energy Star. More than 40 percent of respondents indicating their television set incorporated one or both of these and only modest variations between the categories and technologies.

Popularity: 30% [?]

More information is starting to be released related to the new 9 Series TVs from Samsung. The new LCD TV product line (not pictured) is expected to replace current A950 LCDs, and use a B9000 designation. As mentioned in the LCD TV Buyers Guide, the key product technology is rumored is reported to be LED backlighting with local dimming, as opposed to edge lighting. The benefit to local dimming is that it provides better contrast, by removing light entirely from black sections of an image.

It is expected that the Samsung B9000 LCD TVs will be marketed under Samsung’s Touch of Color line, and communicate via wireless connections to an external media box, helping to keep the LCD television thickness down. The Samsung TVs are expected to be internet ready with Medi@2.0 support that allows access to services such as YouTube and Yahoo Widgets, as well as streaming media from a USB device or PCs connected wirelessly through DLNA. European versions of the TVs are said to have DVB-T and DVB-C tuners. The Samsung 9 Series should roll out with just two screen sizes, 46 and 55 inches. Release is expected sometime in the summer or fall; no prices have been released, but anticipate premium pricing compared to the current market prices of 46 and 55 inch LCD TV models.

Save on Top Brand Electronics at Walmart.com

Popularity: 34% [?]