Remember those ethernet-enabled TVs I mentioned in my Netgear post not too long ago? Sharp has announced a new AQUOS Net service that will push handy content to viewers right in their home theaters, including real-time traffic and weather, plus comic strips and infotainment from NBC. Product-specific details can also be supplied to answer common questions about Sharp displays, all upon consumer approval of course.
Since every post must include at least a passing reference to HD DVD's plight, here's mine: Toshiba's morning press conference began about 15 minutes late; and, as the press waited eagerly to see how the company would respond to the big Warner Brothers/Blu-ray news, I couldn't help but imagine the poor presenters huddled backstage, chanting "We're not going to cry. We're not going to cry." To their credit, they addressed the issue candidly and immediately, as Shane recapped in an earlier post.
Industry legend Mark Levinson stopped by the LG Electronics press conference Sunday morning to bask in the glow of the PowerPoint presentation. Levisnon has partenered with LG to lend his audio expertise and improve the performance of upcoming TV and HTiB products. Partnerships with the ISF and THX were also announced, part of an aggressive new plan to step up the video quality of their displays.
Ok, I know, that force reference was probably lame even when George Lucas actually was the principal owner in THX. But I'm running out of ways to hype new flat panels!
"As you can imagine, this is a tough day for me," said Jodi Sally, VP of Marketing Digital A/V for Toshiba. "I've had better." Sally's better days, to be more specific, were right before last Friday, when Warner Bros....
Regza has been a huge seller for Toshiba, growing their panel business by 350%. Over the last few years. Toshiba will be concentrating on providing solutions between $500 and $2,500 where they think the biggest market exists. Like LG, Toshiba realizes that cosmetic design is key for consumers these days. And to think, we used to put walnut encased CRT tubes in our living rooms. Yeech!
What's this? Pioneer's Kuro line isn't the final word in the blackest TV blacks after all? Not according to Russ Johnston, the company's executive VP of marketing for Home Entertainment. Pioneer is actually working on a new concept - the...
Sure, it’s not as sexy as a 100-inch LCD HDTV that’s only .001-inch thick, but the new MPH in-band mobile digital television (DTV) system is pretty cool if you’re into mobile-pedestrian-handheld TV watching.
Editor Guy Disclaimer: Our web monkey hates stock photos at trade shows, so in my defense here I'll merely state that you need to know about this right away, no product was shown at the press conference, and the lighting conditions were hideous. I have pictures, and they're horrible.
There's not much of a kind way to state our fascination with seeing how Toshiba would respond to this latest turn in the format war, Warner's move to exclusive Blu-ray support in 2008. On a primal level it feels almost like that guilty rubber-necking at a car wreck on the road. However, Toshiba's HD DVD point person Jodi Sally got up and out in front of the press straight away at Toshiba's conference and put on a very brave face in recounting HD DVD's successes.