HDTV Info

Europe Expected to be Strong HDTV Disc Market

Jim Bottoms, managing director of industry analyst Understanding & Solutions, spoke at a Blu-ray Disc Association event in London last week and discussed how a relative lack of broadcast HD programming in Europe could encourage sales of high-definiton DVD discs.

In Western Europe, Bottoms forecasted that by 2010 there will be some 115 million HDTV sets in use, but only around 17 million homes will have access to HD broadcast services.  "With consumers increasingly aware of the benefits of high definition but unable to access HDTV services, then the demand for pre-recorded HD media is bound to increase significantly," said JimBo.  His logic makes sense.

For the U.S., Bottoms predicted  that by 2010 there will be around 138 million HDTVs in use and some 81 million homes will receive high definition TV programming.

Bottoms also discussed the November launch of Sony's  Playstation 3 video game console as an important "market driver," and he predicted a similar effect in Europe following PS3’s introduction last month: "PS3 has succeeded in changing the focus and boosting Blu-ray disc’s interest.  By the end of 2006, a total of one million high definition players of all types were in use in North America including over 750,000 PS3 players."

"Now, over 80 per cent of total US installations are Blu-ray Disc and BD software title sales are outstripping HD-DVD by a significant margin.  During the first week in January Blu-ray Disc accounted for 68% of all HD title sales and one week later that figure had increased to 72%," he added.

Vista-certified Blu-ray Notebook from Samsung

Samsung expects to launch its Vista-certified Blu-ray notebook PC,  Sens M55, later this month in the Korea market.

The Sens M55 has a full HD 17" wide WUXGA (1920×1200) LCD to play Blu-ray content, and users can enjoy the HD content on a big screen via TV-out. The Sens M55 supports Blu-ray R/W disc, as well as conventional CD and DVD R/W.

The Sens M55 also features Intel Core2Duo T7200 CPU, nVidia GeForce Go 7600 graphic chipset(GDDR3 256MB), 2GB memory (667MHz), 120GB SATA HDD, nVidia GeForce Go 7600(GDDR3 256MB), Bluetooth 2.0, and Intel 802.11a/b/g WLAN.

Blu-ray HDTV Recorder from Sharp

Sharp has announced that it new Blu-ray HDTV recorder (BD-HP1) will touch down in Japan next month, but no details have been released about the HD recorder coming to U.S. soil.  Like Sharp, Sony and Panasonic have already launched Blu-ray recorders in Japan and have not yet introduced them in North America.

Sharp said the BD-HP1, unlike past Blu-ray recorders, will use the tuner inside the high-def set to record programming, which Sharp officials say reduces the cost of the recorder.  Using the tuner, however, enables the device to record only one show at a time. Sharp said it would connect to the TV via a iLink connector.  The recorder is expected to carry a $1,200 price tag at launch. Sony and Panasonic's high-def Blu-ray recorders are currently priced higher. 

Sharp said the recorder would work with its Aquos LCD high-def sets but wasn't certain if it would be compatible with other HDTVs. The device will record programs on a single-layer Blu-ray Disc Rewritable disc, which can store up to three hours of terrestrial high-def content or two hours of satellite-delivered content.

Samsung's 70" Full-HD LCD TV

Samsung Electronics has exhibited its 70” full-HD LCD for consumer TVs, as well as its 4.8” and 7” WVGA screens targeting portable computing, entertainment and communication applications, at Flat Panel Display (FPD) International 2006.  The company's 70” LCD panel, which is being shown in Japan for the first time at this event, is said to be the first TV display that can reproduce full HD video images at 120Hz (most LCD panels have a 60Hz refresh rate), giving it a technological edge over plasma display panels. Samsung will begin commercial production of its 70” full-HD LCD panels early next year, accelerating the company's push into high-volume, large-screen TV markets. The largest full-HD LCD TV panel currently in mass production is 65”.  Once it begins mass-producing its 70” panels, Samsung said that LCD TVs will compete head-to-head with the largest plasma displays and projection TV models worldwide.

DIRECTV to Carry NFL in HD

DIRECTV will reportedly carry the NFL Network's 2006 regular season games in HDTV.  The Thanksgiving night Broncos-Chiefs match-up will be DIRECTV’s first HDTV broadcast, and seven more games will be aired after that - four on Thursday nights and three on Saturday nights.  The eight games will be shown on NFL Network HD, the channel's high-def feed, as well as its non-HD channel.  One problem is that DIRECTV currently does not carry NFL Network HD, and many fans are now wondering if DIRECTV would either fail to offer the games in HD or perhaps include them in its NFL Sunday Ticket pay package.  (DIRECTV charges an extra $99 for access to each Sunday's package of NFL games broadcast in high-def.)  DIRECTV is planning to show the games in high-def on channel 95, the satcaster's channel for special HD events.

52 Inches of Crime Fighting?

The Durham, N.C. police department recently used funds raised from city property taxes to buy a Mitsubishi 52”, $2,100 HDTV for its executive conference room, reports HDTV maven Phillip Swann.

Deputy Police Chief Ron Hodge says he approved the $2,100 HDTV because the department's non-HD set (priced at $800) died. Hodge claimed the high-def set is needed so the police can monitor current events and track potential emergencies, and he told the News and Observer that he wasn't concerned about the appearance of buying the set as the city council is considering a city wide tax increase. "That didn't have anything to do with it," Hodge said. "I just said to find some money and get a new television. I needed a television. Let's get real. There are just some things you need to go out and get."

"As a taxpayer, I think that's outrageous," City Councilman Thomas Stith told the News and Observer. "Unfortunately, it is indicative of our administration that in a budget of hundreds of millions, a few thousand dollars here a few thousand dollars there don't matter. That's ridiculous."

HD for NY's WNBC

WNBC, the NBC affiliate in New York, will be the first station in New York to offer high-def news, although the Fox affiliate provides high-def shots from its news helicopter.  WNBC will switch to HD on September 13. The station will offer 28 hours a week of news and local programs in high-def. The local HD lineup will include Gameday New York, a weekly football show.  WNBC says its studio cameras are now ready for high-def and the station will employ field HD cameras later.  "Our foray into HD further enables WNBC to maintain its mission of covering the tri-state area like no one else," said WNBC Station Manager Dan Forman.

"The View" in HD

ABC will take it's Emmy-Award winning talk show to the world of HD on Tuesday, September 5, as the show kicks off its tenth season with new co-host Rosie O'Donnell and special guest Jessica Simpson.  "The View" will be the first ABC daytime show to be broadcast in HD.  All of ABC's HDTV programs use 720p, the network's preferred HD format.

TiVo To Include HD DVR

Cox Communicaitons announced today the addition of TiVo's Digital Video Recorder for next year.  TiVo software will be customized, making it compatible with current Cox DVR set-tops.  Subscribers will be able to download the software, thus eliminating the need for a new set-top or istallation appointment.  No launch date has been revealed for TiVo's new HD DVR service, but Cox said it will include TiVo's interactive advertising program.  TiVo currently does not offer a HDTV DVR in retail, but one is expected soon.

HD Industry Making Big Steps

The Today Show and game shows Jeopardy and Wheel of Fortune will debut in hi-def next month.  The Today Show will join ABC's Good Morning America, which converted to high-def a year ago. CBS has not revealed any plans to air its morning show in HD. 

The two game shows will be available to local stations via syndication.  Sony developed new sets for both shows and reconfigured the studio for wider camera shots.  “What’s really surprising is that a show that is basically fairly static like Jeopardy! can be so much livelier in HD,” says Harry Friedman, a show producer. "You can really see the dimension of the set. Everything gets taken up a few notches in terms of production values.”

In addition, the complete Star Wars film catalog will be available in HD on Cinemax.  The first of the six-film series will air in November.  Star Wars films have aired in high-def on HBO and other networks, but this will be the first time that all six movies will be broadcast in HD on the same channel.