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Tag: hdtv

  • SiS Launches HDTV chipset For Full-HD Digital LCD TV Market


    Silicon Integrated Systems (SiS) is to enter the HDTV market with a ATSC HDTV SoC chipset designed to be implanted in LCD TVs.

    Although it names no names, the Taiwanese company says SiS328 has already been widely adopted by major TV brand vendors for their next generation high quality Full-HD digital TVs.

    A developer of edge core logic chipsets, SIS products are widely used in various applications such as PCs, notebooks, embedded systems, wireless communications, servers, and digital entertainment devices.

    Its move into HDTV chips involves utilising the company’s Digital Nature Video Engine (DNVE) technology, a dual-input HDMI 1.3 receiver, 3D comb filter, two USB 2.0 ports, five analog audio stereo inputs and other features required to deliver ATSC tuning to an LCD TV.

    SiS says products will be available for shipment starting in early Q2.

  • Final Chance to Nominate HDTV Person/Product Of The Year


    The new year may well be firmly underway but there’s still plenty of time to submit your nominations and votes for hdtv.biz-news’ 2008 Man and Product of the Year awards.

    With voting expected to be close in both award categories there’s plenty of opportunity for latecomers to make their mark.

    In the product section, submissions can be made for any hardware launched in 2008 that has particularily impressed.

    Alternatively, nominations can be made for anything else HDTV-related – from content providers to software applications.

    For the Person of the Year, there can be no shortage of likely candidates – whether its an innovative industry leader or a colleague who made waves in 2008.

    But please don’t delay – we need your product or person nominations before the end of January.

  • Samsung Promises Thinnest Ever HDTV


    Samsung is to unveil a flat-panel HDTV measuring a waif-like 6.5-millimeters at this week’s Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas.

    The TV set is reported to be between 6.5mm and 7mm across its width and has an LED (light emitting diode) backlight.

    There are suggestions that the TV tuner is not actually in Samsung’s set – located instead in a base station.

    That aside, if the dimensions are confirmed it would be the thinnest LCD TV yet demonstrated.

    Currently that accolade is held by Philips, which unveiled an 8mm prototype LCD television at the IFA electronics show in Berlin last year.

    At the same event Sony showed a 9.9mm set that is already available – making it the thinnest LCD TV in retail stores.

    Samsung has a news conference for Wednesday at which the TV set is expected to take centre stage.

  • YouTube HD Videos Now In Widescreen


    After weeks of trialling its new HD capabilities YouTube has officially launched its high-def channel.

    Users clicking on the newly added "watch in HD" option will automatically see the videos play in widescreen (16:9 aspect).

    YouTube originally announced its intention to go widescreen in November following the video sharing giant’s recent decision to start hosting full-length Hollywood movies.

    As well as boosting HD content, YouTube plans to add filtering options, including the ability to search HD videos.

    The Google-owned company will also be adding three new landing pages – youtube.com/music, youtube.com/news and youtube.com/movies – with a view to simplifying categorization and search.

    With competition intensifying as the likes of Hulu showing high definition videos, the improvements suggest YouTube is responding well to the challenge.

    The changes come just as Warner Music is pulling all its music videos off YouTube because of Google’s refusal to pay more money.

  • Nominations Open For The Outstanding HDTV Person and Product Of 2008


    With 2008 fast drawing to a close biz-news.com is seeking YOUR help in choosing outstanding candidates for the titles of Man/Woman of the Year and Product/Service of the Year.

    We would like you to nominate an individual and/or product/service that you feel has contributed greatly to the HDTV sector over the past 12 months.

    The winner will be selected from the nominations submitted by our readers – professionals and technology enthusiasts in the industry.

    Obviously, as this is a crowd-sourcing survey, we need your participation.

    Spreading word of this survey to friends and colleagues will also ensure a wider participation in the poll and will give a much more accurate result.

    If you have more than one nomination for either category you can make multiple submissions – but you can only vote once for any person or product.

    We will publish the results in early 2009 and share the raw data with the community. (Personal information about contributors will not be disclosed).

    After a year like 2008 there are plenty of good candidates – so please give it some thought and send your Man/Woman and/or Product nominations to us.

  • Tried PC Videoconferencing – Well How About On An HDTV?


    With webcams now commonplace on PCs and laptops it seems natural that they should take the next step – to HDTVs.

    Videoconferencing expert Emblaze VCON says it has developed technology that allows up to six different users to interact through home TV screens.

    Linor Shachar, VP sales and marketing for the Israeli company, told hdtv.biz-news that it hoped to have found a partner "within months" to develop its TV videoconferencing solution.

    Emblaze is best known for its desktop videoconferencing applications.

    She said having the ability to videoconference from your home HDTV set was the logical "next stage" with the advent of internet-connected televisions.

    "It’s very interesting and we are very confident that it will be everywhere," she said.

    "We have the technology, now we are looking for a partner."

    Shachar said the preferred partnership was with a TV manufacturer and the intention was to have the technology embedded rather than as a set-top box.

    She said companies such as LG were already working on HDTVs with built-in cameras.

    The Emblaze technology will allow a user to open up to six windows on the screen and videotalk with others.

    "So, for instance, you might be watching a football match on TV and want to speak to a friend," said Shachar.

    "You can do that through a window within the main TV screen."

  • HD Video Download Service Allows Blu-ray Recording


    Japan is to get the world’s first HDTV video download service that allows users to export high-def content from HDDs to Blu-ray Disc.

    Tsutaya online provides video content from a server to compatible digital home appliances and allows the content to be copied on Blu-ray Disc, iVDR-S and memory cards.

    Tsutaya obtained permission to use seven of the technologies that can export content based on MarlinDRM specifications.

    The service, which is to be launched on 19 December, will offer over 400 titles, including movies and TV programs created by US film companies.

    Tsutaya online has gained permission to dub HDTV content from them.

    HDTV video can be exported, without down conversion, to Blu-ray Disc, DVD-R DL (AVCREC) and iVDR-S media.

    AACS will be applied to recording on Blu-ray Disc and DVD-R DL media, while SAFIA will be applied to recording on iVDR-S media.

    Video can also be delivered in a form protected by DTCP-IP to DLNA-compatible devices.

    Tsutaya expects to be able to offer a down-convert service from HD to SD, with the content than able to be recorded on SD memory cards, Memory Stick PRO and EMPR (embedded memory with playback and recording function).

  • NXP Chip Brings High-end HDTV Quality Into Mainstream


    NXP has launched a new global single-chip LCD TV platform that it claims will give mid-range TVs an HD viewing experience previously only available on higher end sets.

    Founded by Philips, the semiconductor company believes its new platform will allow manufacturers and content providers to bring a broad range of Internet and digital video content to a significantly wider audience.

    The new NXP TV550 platform combines the manufacturer’s digital TV processing and picture quality technology into one fully integrated single-chip.

    This enables it to deliver a production-ready reference design that speeds manufacturers’ development and dramatically reduces bill-of-materials, according to NXP.

    Christos Lagomichos, executive vice president and general manager of BU Home, NXP Semiconductors, said the new platform would enable manufacturers to offer a range of advanced high definition TV features only previously available in high-end sets.

    Key to this was NXP’s PNX85500 processor and proprietary Motion Accurate Picture Processing (MAPP2) technology.

    The TV550 platform will be available in engineering samples in Q1 2009.

    The NXP TV550 features:

    • DVB-T
    • MPEG4/H.264 decode
    • HDMI reception
    • Decoding of digital SD and HD content
    • advanced programming
    • ethernet
    • CI+ security features to ease the delivery of IP TV content.

  • Could Savings Ratios Give A Clue To Market Robustness?


    Black Friday has arrived in the US and many retailers are hoping fears of prolonged economic difficulties will not hamper consumers’ appetite for spending – not least for HDTVs.

    Paul Gray, Display Search’s director of European TV research, has added some intriguing analysis to the various predictions about how robust consumer demand is likely to be in key markets in the coming months.

    He examined the correlation between the TV penetration and savings and reckons there is some kind of a link.

    Based on his results, the US and UK markets are the most vulnerable whereas Italy and Germany appear well placed to ride out a recession.

    Describing himself as "stunned" by the findings he said the correlations appeared almost too good to be true.

    "But it does perhaps give a peek into where demand can be expected to be most robust," he said.

    "Clearly Germany and Italy have few sets. If the set fails, the choice is to replace it or read a book instead."

    Gray said that by comparison, the US and UK had enjoyed an Anglo-Saxon credit binge and much of the market is supported by second sets.

    "When times get tough, these will not be replaced, or the impulsive demand for another set will easily be extinguished by tight household budgets," he said.

    "These markets look most vulnerable, and indeed have so many sets in the home that in really tight times a bedroom set could be called into front-line duty if the main set fails."

    Just how accurate his methods are remain to be seen, but there is a certain logic to them – isn’t there?

  • Growth Towards 3D HDTV Gains Pace


    Panasonic has submitted a proposal for a 3D Blu-ray standard to the Blu-ray Disc Association.

    The standard would offer guidelines for creating "left/right-eye two-channel full HD images".

    Hiroshi Miyai, Panasonic’s director of AV developments, said that the changes should be quite simple, claiming that the discs would simply need some kind of flag to identify image data, equipment and other elements supporting 3D imagery.

    "We really don’t need any other major changes," he said.

    Panasonic’s submission comes as Korea’s LG announces its intentions to bring 3D TVs to some markets in 2009.

    Choon Lee, vice president director of LG’s Digital TV Research Lab, gave no specific information about the launch details other than that one or two unspecified markets will be getting the technology.

    He said the tech itself would undergo a slight change to existing Blu-ray technology and use the media to keep costs to buyers down.

    In Japan, viewers receive two hours of 3D programming daily over satellite broadcasts.