[CEDIA 2008] Sony Debutes LCD Television With 240HZ Frame Rate

Also Introduces Super-Slim 40-inch LCD Monitor With a Depth of a Blu-ray Disc Jewel Case

Sony continues to push the limits of display innovation and technology with today’s introduction of two new BRAVIA® flat-panel LCD high-definition televisions appealing to the hard-core home theater enthusiast and design-conscious consumer alike.

The BRAVIA KDL-52XBR7 LCD TV features 240Hz high frame rate technology, delivering exceptional motion detail in movies, sports and video games. Meanwhile, the BRAVIA KLV-40ZX1M LCD monitor features a revolutionary slim design measuring just 9.9mm, or about the thickness of a Compact Disc jewel case.

“Sony continually pushes performance and design innovation beyond any other television manufacturer,” said Jeff Goldstein, vice president of marketing for Sony Electronics’ Home Product Division. “From the top to the bottom of our TV line, Sony offers unmatched performance and design.”

The full HD 1080p 52-inch diagonal KDL-52XBR7 incorporates Sony’s new Motionflow™ 240Hz technology delivering an exceptionally crisp and detailed image with natural motion.
The Motionflow algorithm goes beyond traditional 120Hz technology by quadrupling the frame rate of conventional LCD TVs and interpolating three new frames, producing remarkably crisp and natural motion.

Other picture enhancements include Sony’s Advanced Contrast Enhancer (ACE), which helps deliver a dynamic contrast ratio of 80,000:1 and BRAVIA Engine™ 2, Sony’s digital video processor that enhances all incoming signals to match the TV’s 1080p resolution.
The model also is compatible with Sony’s BRAVIA Link modules providing the ability to seamlessly add new features.  Optional expansion modules include the BRAVIA DVD Link, the BRAVIA Wireless link, the BRAVIA Input Link, which will ship later this year, and the currently available BRAVIA Internet Video Link.

The BRAVIA Internet Video Link module attaches to the back of a selection of Sony’s 2007 and 2008 BRAVIA LCD flat-panel television models.  The service seamlessly streams on-demand entertainment including movies, TV programs, your favorite YouTube videos and a variety of other content not found on network or cable/satellite TV.  The service connects to the Internet via your existing broadband Ethernet connection and streams content, much of which is avaialble at no additional charge  Content is easily navigated with Sony’s Technical 2007 Emmy® award-winning Xross Media Bar (XMB)™ user interface.

Sony’s 1,000,000:1 contrast BRAVIAs launch in Japan October 10

Sony’s XBR6 / XBR7 / XBR8 models are still waiting in the wings for their U.S. debut, but along with HDTVs that push the extremes in thin and fast, the company announced these more conventional models it’s deemed “the highest quality BRAVIA HDTVs in history.” The XR1 (read: XBR8) series will feature a 1,000,000:1 dynamic contrast ratio (3,000:1 static) courtesy of those new TRILUMINOS three-color LEDs, 10-bit BRAVIA Engine 2 processing and Motionflow 120Hz technology. If you can live without 240Hz or WHDI, the 1080p 55-inch edition runs ¥750,000 ($6,489 U.S.) with a 46-inch for ¥600,000 ($5,479 U.S.).

The next level down is the X1 (read: XBR6 / XBR7) series, based on old school CCFL backlights limited to a 3,000:1 contrast rating, ranging in size from 40- to 52- inches and in price from ¥530,000 ($4,866 U.S.) to ¥320,000 ($2,922 U.S.) when they go on sale October 10. Digital Media Extender support, DLNA connectivity and all the other high end feature’s make their expected appearance across the lineup.

With fears of watered down technology effectively quelled, Sony wouldn’t make us wait until October to find out when we can buy an HDTV in the U.S. or Europe from this lineup — somehow we doubt it.

Sony, Samsung to Spend US $1.8B on New LCD Line

Sony and Samsung are reaffirming their alliance in LCD (liquid crystal display) panel manufacturing with plans to jointly construct a third flat-screen factory in South Korea.

The 1.8 trillion won (US$1.8 billion) production line will be built by S-LCD, a joint venture between Sony and Samsung that already operates two factories in Tangjeong in South Korea. The new factory will be built at the same site and is scheduled to start turning out LCD panels in the second quarter of 2009, the two companies said Friday.

It will be based on so-called eighth-generation technology and has been given the name 8-2. That means it will be able to accept sheets of mother glass — from which several panels can be made — of 220 centimeters by 250 centimeters.

S-LCD already operates one eighth-generation line in Tangjeong, called line 8-1, in addition to its original seventh-generation line. With each successive jump in production technology the size of the mother glass sheets is increased and economies are introduced into the production process. The higher technology lines can make larger panels at a lower per-inch cost.

The new factory is scheduled to process 60,000 mother glass sheets per month, which makes it larger and the 8-1 facility that handles up to 50,000 sheets per month.

Output from the plant will be split between Samsung and Sony with 51 percent of panels going to the former and 49 percent to the latter. This is in line with their share holdings in S-LCD.

In February Sony it had started talks with Sharp towards investing in a new production line that Sharp has under construction in Japan. The Sharp plant will be based on a more advanced 10th generation technology and will be best suited to making LCD panels in the 60- and 50-inch class.

The announcement sparked speculation that Sony was giving up on S-LCD and had found a new partner with which to share the considerable cost of a cutting-edge display factory. Friday’s announcement reaffirms the joint venture with Samsung but repositions from the leading edge to become a supplier of panels for what are likely to be the mass market portions of the LCD TV market.

Earlier in the day Samsung reports 37 percent higher net profits for the January to March quarter on the back of strong demand for LCD panels and TVs. The company said its LCD panel business recorded a year-on-year sales growth of 53 thanks to increased production and strong sales of TV screens in the 46-inch size and above.

Sony’s Stringer Shows Next Generation OLED Screen: 0.3 MM Thick, Thinner Than A Credit Card

All Things Digital conference, Sony (SNE) CEO Howard Stringer, who comes out to the opening notes of the song “I think I’m turning Japanese.” He is being interviewed by Walt Mossberg.

Stringer says Sony is the number one seller of LCD TVs in dollars, but not in profits. They did $9 billion in televisions this year, but profit was not as high. He notes that it has become a commoditized business. He says race for market share drives prices down at a rate that is “quite striking.”

Stringer says LCD has plenty of life in it, but is working on OLED, which is very expensive at the moment. First product is in the market place. Costs $2,500 for 11-inch screen. Stringer says he has one on his desk. The screen is so bright; a million-to-one contrast ratio makes it 100 times brighter than an LCD screen. Stringer is showing the next generation screen, which is 0.3 mm wide, thinner than a credit card. And you can make a flexible plastic version. He says there will be 27-inch version “fairly soon,” and it will be “fairly expensive.”

• Stringer says they are making and selling their OLED panels; working very hard to figure out how to mass produce it. When they do, it is a winner.
• On game console business: Stringer says the model has been lose money for long time, then make money on software, and then on the hardware. He says they are coming up to break-even on the hardware for PS/3, and making money on the software. Now number one in the U.K. Has life beyond that of video game; working on Playstation network for later this year. Beginning to generate its own excitement.
• He says they won the Blu-Ray/HD-DVD war in part because of the ability to play Blu-Ray titles on the PS3. Stringer says the company did NOT write a lot of big checks to the studios to get them to back Blu-ray. (Unlike the HD-DVD camp.)
• Walt is asking: How many years of value does Sony get for winning the high-def format war, given the move to digital download. Stringer says there is a long lead time. Downloading and streaming will be way to get video, but he says it will be a long time before you can get Blu-Ray quality that way. Stringer says if they had lost the format war, the headline would have been “Betamax 2.” So they did not want that to happen.
• Stringer says the movie theater is not going to die, as a shared experience. He notes that not every home will have a 70-inch Bravia, and even if they do, “you aren’t going to want to watch it with your mother.”
• On PCs, they had their best year ever last year, Stringer says. Mossberg notes they are low market share; Stringer says they are an elegant computer manufacturer. Mossberg says that the Vaio is loaded with “craplets, littered with half-baked programs.” It had 3 Sony-produced movies, but you had to pay $15 to watch them, Mossberg says. Stringer says he promises to do a “craplets review.”
• On music players: they are focused on phones. Stringer says they are doing more and more downloading relationships; you can get Usher downloads exclusively from Sony BMG on Sony Ericsson phones.
• Mossberg is wondering if standalone music and video players will eventually go away in favor of music and video capable phones. Stringer says there is room for 2 or 3 devices.

Sony Redfines LCD Picture Quality with New XBR HDTV Line

 Sony today introduced seven new BRAVIA® XBR flat-panel LCD high-definition televisions including models with Triluminos LED backlight and local dimming for outstanding black-level reproduction and unmatched contrast.
The new models expand the BRAVIA LCD line up to 30 models ranging in screen size from 19- to 70- inches measured diagonally.

The XBR models represent Sony’s premium line, delivering the latest features and the pinnacle of picture quality.

“Critics consistently praise BRAVIA as the best HDTVs on the market, and the XBR badge indicates the best of the best,” said Jeff Goldstein, vice president of marketing for Sony Electronics’ television marketing group. “Consumers can now experience the quality of BRAVIA from small-sized models all the way up through our premium big screen XBR series.

KDL-46XBR8

XBR8-Series

Leading the line is the full HD 1080p 55-inch KDL-55XBR8 and 46-inch KDL-46XBR8 models (all measured diagonally).  The models incorporate Sony’s TRILUMINOS® three-color LED backlight technology with local dimming coupled with 10-bit processing and 10-bit panel to deliver exceptionally deep black level and accurate colors.

Sony’s TRILUMINOS LED backlight technology dramatically expands the TV’s color range by aligning individual clusters of red, green and blue LEDs, significantly elevating color purity compared to traditional single white LED backlights.

Additionally, the sets offer the new Advanced Contrast Enhancer PRO (ACE PRO) technology.  ACE PRO, which features Sony’s own algorithm for local dimming, improves contrast and dynamic range by controlling the LED backlight level by area so that detail is maintained in the dark areas, while other areas are driven near peak brightness.  The technology reduces unnecessary light emission resulting in true, deep blacks and reduced power consumption compared to conventional LED backlit models.

The models also feature BRAVIA Engine™ 2 PRO, which is Sony’s latest high quality picture processing technology and the company’s Motionflow 120Hz high frame rate technology.

Sony and Sharp’s LCD Linkup

The Japanese rivals are working together in liquid-crystal-display TV panels to cut costs and hedge against the risk of an economic slowdown

Consolidation it wasn’t. But on Feb. 26, when Sony (SNE) said it would pick up part of the $3.5 billion tab for Sharp’s (6753.T) planned TV-panel plant, it seemed that two of the world’s biggest TV makers were finally admitting there are limits to the industry’s frenzied expansion.

Of course, this being Japan, both consumer-electronics makers would argue that the “c” word doesn’t apply. Indeed, Sharp President Mikio Katayama and Sony President Ryoji Chubachi stressed that their agreement was over joint ownership of a plant in Osaka and joint production of TV panels and other components, not any type of merger.

The deal leaves Sharp with two-thirds of what will be the world’s most advanced liquid-crystal-display factory, while Sony will own the remaining one-third. They plan to produce both LCD panels and LCD modules that come with components such as a backlight and chips. Though their giant-screen TVs will share key technologies inside, Sharp’s Aquos and Sony’s Bravia will remain separate brands.

Tieup’s Big Benefit: Lower Costs
Why is Sharp sharing precious tech know-how with a rival? After all, Sharp, the world’s third-largest LCD TV maker, wants nothing more than to close the gap with the reigning champ, Korea’s Samsung Electronics, and runner-up Sony. Every TV exec knows that the best way to get ahead in the fiercely competitive business is to be the first to invest in more efficient LCD plants. Only a few manufacturers have the resources and the brain trusts to stay ahead in cutting-edge TV manufacturing technologies.

Sony Invests $203.5M in OLED

 TOKYO (Reuters) – Japanese consumer electronics maker Sony Corp said on Tuesday it will spend 22 billion yen ($203.5 million) to develop technology to make medium to large organic light-emitting diode (OLED) panels.Sony launched the world’s first TV using such panels in November at a price of 200,000 yen.OLED displays use organic, or carbon-containing, compounds that emit light when electricity is applied. Unlike liquid crystal display panels they do not need backlighting, making OLED TVs slimmer and more energy-efficient.

Just 3 mm thick, the new TV consumes 40 percent less power than a comparable LCD set and is suitable for watching fast-moving images such as sports programs because of its quick response time. It also offers bright colors and a wide viewing angle.

But it is technologically difficult at the moment to make large OLED panels. Sony’s existing OLED TV has an 11-inch screen, or roughly as large as two CD cases put side by side.

Shares in Sony, which competes with Samsung Electronics Co Ltd and Sharp Corp in LCD TVs, ended Tuesday trade up 2.2 percent at 5,010 yen, outperforming the Tokyo stock market’s electrical machinery index, which gained 1.1 percent.

Sony Dumps Rear Projection TV

Sony will exit the rear projection TV category to focus on flat-panel LCD TV after current inventories of its 3LCD- and SXRD-based products are exhausted, a company spokesman confirmed.

“We are moving our resources more toward LCD TV, because that’s what people really want,” a Sony spokesman said, confirming a published report.

The company began telling select retailers about the decision following several months of study, the spokesman said, adding that Sony will continue selling front projection products through its custom home theater division.

The decision came despite the fact that Sony ranked second in the category for sell-through, with 28 percent of the U.S. market through November, behind Samsung, according to The NPD Group. Sony rear projection sets were also No. 1 in shelf-share at 31.77 percent in November, according to Current Analysis West, an NPD Group company.

HDDVD: Get a shovel and a Pine box now!

Paramount is poised to drop its support of HD-DVD following Warner Brothers’ recent backing of Sony’s Blu-ray technology, in a move that could sound the death knell of HD-DVD and bring the home entertainment format war to a definitive end.

Paramount and DreamWorks Animation, which makes the Shrek films, came out in support of HD-DVD last summer, joining General Electric’s Universal Studios as the main backers of the Toshiba format.

However, Paramount, which is owned by Viacom, is understood to have a clause in its contract with the HD-DVD camp that would allow it to switch sides in the event of Warner backing Blu-ray, according to people familiar with the situation.

Plasma and LCD TVs getting thinner

Ultra-thin flat panel displays were the highlight of this year’s International Consumer Electronics Show, with many vendors showing thinner and sleeker high-definition TVs, giving users a peek of what LCD, plasma and OLED screens will look like in a few years.

Visitors thronged the booths of Sony, Samsung, Panasonic, Pioneer and Hitachi, where the companies were showing larger flat-panel TV prototypes with reduced thickness, ranging from 3 millimeters to 39 mm, depending on the screen size.

The thinnest perhaps was Sony’s 11-inch OLED (organic light-emitting diode) TV, the XEL-1, which is 3 millimeters thick. At $2,500, the panel is much thinner than LCDs, which start at 24 mm in thickness. The XEL-1 went on sale in Japan in December and was launched in the U.S. this week. Sony also showed off a 27-inch prototype OLED TV at CES.

Samsung showed off a thin OLED display prototype with a 31-inch screen, the largest of its kind on display at CES. Measuring around 4 mm thick, it is thinner than LCD panels and displayed vivid pictures than LCD TVs.