News and Reviews....
Mitsubishi - Philips TV News April 2008
By Robert Lieto
Mitsubishi has just announced the first laser powered HDTV. The new technology is called LaserVue and should be in stores this autumn. Pricing details and specifications will not be available until June, but it is likely that the LaserVue sets will be at the higher end of the HDTV range.
Compared with similar sized plasma and LCD models, LaserVue is designed to provide higher levels of contrast, black level and color saturation. Achieved through the purity of laser illumination. It will produce twice the color range of either LCD or Plasma TVs. LaserVue is said to produce good 3D performance when used with properly encoded media and stereoscopic glasses.
The LaserVue will employ Texas Instrument's HD4 or HD5 chipset and will not require the color wheel and lamp used on conventional DLP HDTVs. The Laservue sets are said to require half the power of a LCD TV and a third of the power of a Plasma TV.
Philips on the other hand has decided to exit the U.S and Canadian TV market. Philips-branded TVs will still be sold, but the sets will now be made under license by Funai Electric for at least five more years. While not a well known brand in the United States, Funai, based in Tokyo, sells brands labeled Emerson, Sylvania, Symphonic and other lower priced brands in North America.
Philips became caught in the middle, while not occupying a premium brand like Sony and Samsung and not being able to compete with low end brands in commodity like Vizio and Westinghouse.
Philips will still market health care products, lighting and other electronic products. Funai will be responsible for the sourcing through service for Philips and Magnavox.
Comment ..... Mitsubishi The weakness in DLP technology is the color wheel. It is the mechanical mechanism that allows the mirrored pixels to change and form the colors of the picture in whole. But, when a Single chip machine with color wheel is compared with a 3-chip machine without a color wheel, ,it is well established that a 3 chip DLP display is a better picture for the removal of the mechanics from the process gives the reason alone. The price of a 3 chip DLP projector reflects that difference at a 3- 4 times the cost range, but well worth it.. Using a laser or LED illuminators attacks other problems with uniform light, heat, Fan Noise. We are glad to see new technology like the LaserVue come along for it will rebalance the costs of conventional single chip and multiple chip projectors in the market as well. Bravo
Philips The markets of LCD and Plasma are getting close to commodities with less and less differences across the board. This fact ultimately leads to many sets with many names being made by the same manufacturer. Whoever that manufacture turns out to be, is critiqued by the branded manufacturer, who places their company's logo on the front of the set.. As we go forward in the marketing of HDTV you will notice that the upper tier of displays in many lines, become more stylized, or specialized at a cost, with possibly thinner frames or frames with choice of finish or color, advances in the internal workings or greater abilities included within the display. The differences between brands on the upper tier or level might be slight but can be significant in separating each manufacturers ability to win the upper, more expensive level or tier of display. It will take a knowledgeable, salesperson, A/V integrator and the like, to guide their customer, by relying on their knowing and ability to explain the differences and the refinements, and what best serves their customer's particular situation.
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