Edge-Lit LED Backlighting Moving to Samsung TVs

A new product is slated to come out of the Samsung labs and into the market soon. Samsung is reportedly beginning the mass production of its new HDTV; the kind that's so thin, it can be hung on the wall like a painting. The difference between this new product and the usual ultra-thin HDTVs? Energy consumption.

Samsung's lightweight super-thin TV utilizes a technology that allows it to consume up to 40 percent less what a conventional TV of the same size and capacity consumes. The savings in energy are due to its LED backlighting. But while it's natural to think the LED lights themselves save energy, there's actually one more factor that contributes to its efficiency - the LED lighting's placement on the LCD.

Samsung's new HDTV uses edge-lit LED backlighting that places LED lights in rows on the top and the bottom of the panel.

In this position, the light is directed or focused towards the center of the screen for better picture quality and lesser energy use. The LEDs used for the backlighting are, of course, mercury-free as well. "There is a rising demand for light weight large TVs that can be mounted on the wall like a painting, with LED backlighting as a higher quality alternative to the more common CCFL (cold cathode fluorescent lamp) technology," said W. K. Chang, president of Samsung Electronics LCD Division.

Samsung's new HDTV will come in 40-inch, 46-inch and 55-inch diagonal size models when they are released to the public.

Sony recalls laptop batteries

Sony is recalling its 2.15Ah Lithium Ion batteries used in Hewlett-Packard, Toshiba and Dell notebook computers.

New Zealand is part of computer manufacturers' global recall of 100,000 laptop batteries made by Sony Corp after 40 incidents of overheating world-wide.

Some users reported smoke or flames. Four of the incidents resulted in minor skin burns while 21 of the cases caused damage to property, Sony said.

Details of the laptop models affected were available on the various company websites.

Laptop owners were advised to immediately remove the recalled battery from the computer and request a free replacement battery through the company's website.

After removing the recalled battery, the AC adapter can be used to power the computer until a replacement battery arrived.

Sony said the defect appeared to have been caused by a problem with a production line during October 2004 and June 2005.

Its own VAIO notebook computers were not affected by the recall.

In 2006 Sony was hit by recalls of almost 10 million of its batteries for laptop computers because of fears they could catch fire, burning a deep hole in the Japanese giant's profits.

Sony still on the offensive

Sony Corp. chairperson Howard Stringer said on Monday the electronics giant was keeping up its long-term global ambitions despite taking a "very, very strong" hit in the global financial crisis.

The iconic Japanese firm last week slashed its net profit forecast for the year to March by more than half, blaming a soaring yen, intense competition and a global financial crisis that has sapped demand.

"We are a very strong export business in Japan. Most of our business comes from exports, over 80 percent," Stringer, Sony's first foreign chief, told a business forum in Tokyo.

"So the impact on us is always going to be very, very strong. There is no hiding that," he said.

Stringer said, however, that the global crisis could provide Sony opportunities to seek out acquisitions, reorganise or to seek out talent from other firms.

"Those who say crisis is an opportunity are usually right," he said.

Sony could use the crisis as "an opportunity to make things more smooth and streamlined and more effective," he said, adding that Sony would maintain its long-term business goals for now.

Stringer said Sony was continuing to boost digital networking functions of its products including its games, hoping for an area to challenge US rivals Intel, Microsoft and Apple.

Sony, which changed the way the world listened to music with the Walkman, faced widespread criticism for failing to produce gadgets to rival Apple's hugely successful iPod.

Sony is also enjoying a strong brand image and expanding presence in emerging markets, particularly Brazil, Russia, India and China, he said.

Stringer also predicted strong growth for "at least the next five to 10 years" from sales of next-generation Blu-ray DVDs and players.

Blu-ray fended off a challenge from rival Toshiba Corp.'s HD DVD to be the next standard in DVDs, although some technology pundits say it is only a matter of time before consumers turn off on DVDs altogether.

"I understand there is digital downloads. But if you are talking about full, high-definition, high-quality programming, that's not going to come from digital downloading to most homes any time soon," Stringer said.

Stronger Yen

Sony is one of many Japanese firms hurting from the appreciation of the yen, which has jumped to a 13-year high against the dollar.

Canon Inc., long one of Japan's most profitable companies, said on Monday its net profit would fall for the first time in nine years due in part to the strong yen. It slashed its net profit forecast for the year by 25 percent.

"The high yen keeps getting higher. But at some point, the yen will come back because it doesn't make sense over the long haul for the yen to be that high," Stringer said.

"Of the shortfall that caused us to revise our forecast, 75 percent of it is directly related to foreign exchange and stock markets," he said.

Tom Enders, chief executive of European aviation giant Airbus Industrie, told the same forum that both government and business leaders shared blame for the financial crisis.

"This downturn is not just a result of a financial crisis. It is a result of lack of anticipation, lack of transparency," he said.

"You could also call it 'leadership crisis'" he said.

Andrew Liveris, head of the Dow Chemical Co., said the crisis would have "lasting consequences," with market players diversifying their positions and growing regulation in the United States.

"I think risk will be defined and priced in a very different way than it was priced in the past seven or eight years," Liveris said.

LCD TV to become largest consumer electronics market by 2012

LCD TV to become largest consumer electronics market by 2012, says iSuppli
Press release, October 13; Ricky Morris, DIGITIMES [Monday 13 October 2008]

Defying challenging economic conditions, the global LCD TV market is expected to continue its rapid growth during the coming years, causing it to become the largest segment of the consumer electronics industry by 2012, according to iSuppli.

Sheri Greenspan, senior analyst, consumer electronics for iSuppli, recently predicted worldwide OEM factory revenues for LCD TVs will rise to US$110.8 billion in 2012, nearly double the US$61 billion in 2007. In 2012, LCD TV revenues will exceed that of consumer appliances. At present, LCD TV is the second largest revenues-generating segment of the 20 consumer electronics product categories tracked by iSuppli.

"Consumers want their electronics, in good times and in bad," commented Greenspan. "Because of this, the consumer electronics market will continue its incremental growth over the next four years, driven by LCD TVs, along with consumer appliances, digital set-top boxes (STBs), digital still cameras and games consoles."

Factors driving LCD TV shipment growth include the global transition to digital broadcasting, rapidly declining prices, and consumer preferences for high-definition displays and thin form-factor sets.

Greenspan noted that global consumer electronics OEM factory revenues rose by 2% in 2007 and are expected to increase by another 6.5% in 2008.

In parallel with the rise of the LCD TV market will be the expansion of the digital STB segment. "Global digital STB factory revenues are expected to grow to US$25.6 billion by 2012, rising at a CAGR of 11% from US$15.2 billion in 2007," Greenspan said. "Consumers continue to upgrade their televisions with new premium services, like HD and Video on Demand (VoD), requiring new STBs." Shipments of STBs also will be driven by consumer demand for Digital Video Recording (DVR), which is increasingly becoming standard in STBs.

Other consumer electronics growth areas include digital still cameras, whose revenues will rise to US$26.9 billion in 2012, expanding at a CAGR of 6.6% from US$19.6 billion in 2007. "Growing demand for the higher-priced digital SLR cameras is helping drive overall pricing up, as is continued consumer interest in higher resolutions and video-capture capabilities," Greenspan said.

Games console revenues are expected to grow to US$14 billion in 2012, rising at a CAGR of 5.9% from US$10 billion in 2007. Mass market adoption, new game titles, accessories and price reductions are helping drive demand, along with evolution of games consoles into media centers, Greenspan said.

Harmonic convergence

Greenspan noted that a massive number of consumer electronics products are prime candidates to undergo a convergence of functionality. More than 800 million individual consumer electronics products shipped worldwide in 2008 could potentially be affected by some form of convergence, a number that will rise to 1.2 billion by 2012. "Elements driving the convergence trend include peer pressure and the 'coolness' factor," Greenspan said. "It also will help consumers to save money as it often costs less to buy a device with converged functionality, rather than buying several devices."

LG HDTV | 60PG7000 | LG UK

60PG7000
60" HD Ready 1080p Plasma TV with built in Bluetooth, 100hz, Frameless design, Dual XD engine, 4xhdmi and USB 2.0(JPEG / MP3 Playback)

Vivid Picture Quality
• HD Ready 1080p
• 100Hz
• Dual XD Engine
• AV Mode
• 30,000 :1

Playability
• SIMPLINK with 4 HDMI
• 1080p Input Ready for Blu-ray & HD-DVD
• USB 2.0

Dynamic & Deep Sound
• Invisible Speaker & Clear Voice
• Dolby Digital & Surround Max

Luxurious Design
• Full Glossy Finish
• Swivel Stand

Sharp shows off

Sharp shows off 52-inch solar-powered LCD TV at CEATEC

We've seen some fairly fascinating things at CEATEC this year, but this one could be the biggest game-changer of them all, if you'll allow us just one buzzword. The LED-backlit 52-incher you see above comes attached to a not-at-all convenient solar floor panel which presumably provides at least some of the energy required to power this thing. We've no clue how close the design is to being viable for the commercial realm, but we'd say Sharp's definitely headed in the right direction here.

Engadget

Sony takes full control of Sony BMG

TOKYO (AFP) - Japan's Sony Corp. said it completed the acquisition of German media giant Bertelsmann's 50-percent stake in their Sony BMG joint venture, the world's second largest recorded music company.

The venture, which is now a wholly owned subsidiary of the Japanese electronics and entertainment conglomerate, will be renamed Sony Music Entertainment Inc., Sony said in a statement late Wednesday.

The two firms joined forces in 2004 to save costs in the face of declining CD sales and the growing popularity of Internet downloads, but Bertelsmann announced in August that it was selling its stake to its Japanese partner.

The music company is one of the industry's "big four" together with Universal, EMI and Warner Music and has artists including Alicia Keys, Celine Dion, Justin Timberlake, Usher and Bruce Springsteen on its roster.

Sony BMG accounts for around a quarter of global music sales, comprising labels including Arista Records, Columbia Records and Epic Records.

The German media giant will receive 1.2 billion dollars from the deal, Sony has said, including 300 million dollars of its share of the cash on Sony BMG's balance sheet.

TECO TA3296RV

TECO TA3296RV 32 INCH LCD TV

TECO`s latest TA3296RV provides you advanced technology in an elegant design. Not only living rooms, it also fits your bedrooms as well. Adoption of the industry`s top innovative IC chip, TECO TA3296RV delivers an impressive experience through its advanced color engine, diagonal enhancement, DTV treatment, auto contrast adjustment and convenient I/O port, TECO not only colors your eyes but also colors your life.

Teco Televisions come with Freeview, a three year swap out warranty. Should anything go wrong with your set it will be replaced with a new one, now that is what we call service!

Sony HT-IS100 System

Sony Goes (Very) Mini with HT-IS100 System

We’ve seen miniscule speakers done before by the likes of Bose and Orb Audio, but the latest home theater system out of Sony takes the concept to its logical extreme. Fresh out of Japan, the HT-IS100 features tiny speakers that Sony equates to the size of a golf ball.
The 5.1 system gets five of the mini dynamos to serve as the left, right, center and surround speakers, along with a not-so-tiny sub. It accepts three 1080p HDMI inputs with support for up to eight uncompressed audio

SAMSUNG LE52A656

SAMSUNG LE52A656 52 INCH LCD TV

The combination of premuim performance and aesthetic elegance makes for a truly stunning TV that sets new standards.

Features of the Samsung LE52A656 include:

• Screen Size: 52"
• Resolution: 1,920 x 1,080
• HD Ready
• Movie Plus (Incl. 100Hz)
• Input & Output (Side) HDMI, S-Video
• Input & Output (Back): HDMI x3, Scart x2
• Anynet+ (HDMI-CEC)

SAMSUNG LE46A656

SAMSUNG LE46A656 46 INCH LCD TV

The new Samsung LE46A656 is the latest range of full HD LCD TV's from Samsung. This TV has a massive 50,000-1 contrast ratio. This screen not only works well but it also looks amazing. key specifications * Screen Size : 52" * Resolution : 1,920 x 1,080 * HD Ready : yes * Movie Plus : yes (Incl. 100Hz)

SAMSUNG LE40A656

SAMSUNG LE40A656 40 INCH LCD TV

Design

The reflective "Ultra Clear Panel" screen deployed on Samsung LE40A656 is a far cry from the matte characteristic normally witnessed on LCD screens, but really by now should be a familiar sight to those who have seen the equally shiny "Super Clear Panels" on the outgoing Samsung M86/ 87 and F86 series. The fundamentally gloss black bezel (which frames the screen) is permeated by dark-red accents that grow stronger towards the outer edges, constituting what Samsung has dubbed "Crystal Design". To finish off the exterior aesthetics, a narrow strip of transparent plastic extends beyond the frame of the Samsung LE40A656 LCD TV on all sides.

SAMSUNG LE37A656

SAMSUNG LE37A656 37 INCH FHD READY LCD TV

The combination of premuim performance and aesthetic elegance makes for a truly stunning TV that sets new standards.

Features of the Samsung LE37A656 include:

• Screen Size: 37"
• Resolution: 1,920 x 1,080
• HD Ready
• Movie Plus
• Input & Output (Side) HDMI, S-Video
• Input & Output (Back): HDMI x3, Scart x2
• Anynet+ (HDMI-CEC)

SAMSUNG LE22A656

Samsung LE22A656 LCD TV

Specification Overview
Model LE22A656
• 22” HD ready LCD display
• Ultra clear panel
• HDMI input

• 22” HD ready widescreen LCD TV
• Crystal design ‘Rose Black’
• Wide Colour Enhancer 2 technology delivers more brilliant colours, even in bright areas
• Ultra clear panel
• Movie Plus presents smooth action picture
• 1 HDMI Input
• Game Mode: picture quality for optimised gaming
• 1366 x 768 pixel resolution
• 3,000:1 dynamic contrast ratio

SAMSUNG LE19A656

Latest new range flat panel from Samsung.

Description:

Screen size: 19'', Aspect ratio: 16:9, Frequency: 50 Hz, Additional decoders: Freeview, Audio type: SRS TruSurround XT

Sony to start US movie service for PS3

TOKYO - Sony says it will start a movie download service for its PlayStation 3 home console this summer in the U.S.

Kazuo Hirai, who heads Sony Corp.'s video game unit, said Thursday the service will be offered in Japan and Europe at later dates, although details won't be available until next month.

Hirai said the company will strengthen its network services and further cut costs to achieve profitability in the Sony gaming business in the current fiscal year ending March 2009.

"Please expect more from our evolving PlayStation business," Hirai told reporters at the company's Tokyo headquarters.

Sony to invest $17 billion over 3 years, eyes LCD TV crown

TOKYO (Reuters) - Sony Corp (6758.T) said it would invest about $17 billion in key businesses and technologies over the next three years as it aims for the top spot in the LCD TV market and ramps up sales of high-definition video equipment.

The company, which sells PlayStation 3 game consoles and Cyber-shot digital cameras, said it would also aim to double revenue from the fast-growing markets of Brazil, Russia, India and China to 2 trillion yen ($18.5 billion) as part of a new three-year strategy through March 2011.

It wants to lift return on equity (ROE) to 10 percent from an average of about 6 percent over the past three years, and reach the 5 percent operating profit margin that eluded it in a previous plan, coming in at 4.2 percent in the year ended March.

Sony's current ROE is very low compared with global rivals such as South Korea's Samsung Electronics Co (005930.KS), which boasts 14 percent, and Philips Electronics NV (PHG.AS), which registers 23 percent, according to Reuters data.

"That target is a sign of Sony's sense of crisis that it could really become a takeover target if it doesn't lift its ROE to at least over 10 percent," said Mitsushige Akino, chief fund manager at Ichiyoshi Investment Management.

Of the planned 1.8 trillion yen it aims to invest over the next three years, about half would go to its component and semiconductor operations -- which span image sensors, batteries, display devices and Blu-ray Disc-related parts.

The company said it would aim to bring its TV business back to profitability in the year to March 2009 by cutting production costs, and shoot for the biggest global share in LCD TVs, unseating current market leader Samsung.

The company, locked in a three-way battle with Microsoft Corp (MSFT.O) and Nintendo Co Ltd (7974.OS) in the global videogame industry, will launch video distribution services on its PlayStation network starting this summer, it said.

Sony last month posted a quarterly loss after a weak stock market ate into the value of securities held by its financial arm, but forecast 20 percent profit growth this year.

Ahead of Thursday's announcement, shares in Sony closed up 2.9 percent at 5,060 yen, against a 0.1 percent fall on the benchmark Nikkei average (.N225).

(Reporting by Kiyoshi Takenaka, Nathan Layne and Aiko Hayashi; Editing by Brent Kininmont and Hugh Lawson)

($1=107.96 Yen)

JVC LT-42SL89 and LT-46SL89 Slim TV’s Launched

JVC has introduced thinnest LCD TV with built-in TV tuners. The latest TV is 2.9 inches deep at the center and slim down to 1.5 inches at the borders. The 42-inch LT-42SL89 and the 46-inch LT-46SL89 are the two models which will appear in thinnest TV series from JVC. The slimness is a result of newly developed backlight unit and power supply substrate.

The backlight is nearly 40 per cent slimmer than the old panel. Also the slim TVs are ligh weighted and consume lesser power. They weigh just 26.5lbs and consume 145W of energy.

Both JVC TVs will offer 1920×1080 (1080p) resolution. Moreover, they feature three HDMI, two components, one S-Video in and a PC input. Next age touch sensor controls will incorporate with LT-42SL89 and LT-46SL89 TVs instead of traditional buttons. A USB port and an illuminated universal remote that will also control other components of users are attributes of the slim TVs.

JVC’s LT-42SL89 and LT-46SL89 TVs are schedule to hit market in July 2008 at the prices of $1900 and $2400 respectively.

Sony Ericsson F305 takes on the Wiimote

Phone uses motion-sensing technology for mobile gaming.
Andrew Charlesworth, vnunet.com

The F305 allows users to control games on the phone by imitating the required movement.

Sony Ericsson has released a mobile phone handset for gamers which uses motion-sensing technology.

The F305 allows users to control games on the phone by imitating the required movement in the game, much like the motion controller used by Nintendo's Wii.

Immediately after the action is performed, the in-game characters repeat the action on the 5cm screen.

Sony Ericsson said that the device is intended to make mobile gameplay a social, fun activity.

Ten-pin bowling and fly fishing are two game genres which the company claims are suitable for the motion-controlled features of the phone.

The handset also has a joypad-style controller which allows games on the phone to be played as if using the controller from a conventional console, i.e. horizontally using both hands rather than vertically and one-handed.

Aimed squarely at the youth market, the phone has a media player with stereo speakers and 2-megapixel camera.

It also makes and received calls.

LG ELECTRONICS RELEASES WORLD'S THINNEST LCD TV

SEOUL, May 07, 2008 (AsiaPulse via COMTEX) -- LGEPF | news | PowerRating | PR Charts -- LG Electronics Co. (KSE:066570), South Korea's No.2 consumer electronics maker, said today it has re leased the world's slimmest liquid-crystal display (LCD) television.

LG's 42LG61 model, dubbed the Scarlet Super Slim, is a high definition LCD television with a thickness of 44.7 millimeters, thinner by half than the company's slimmest previous offering of 105 millimeters, the company said.

It was awarded the Innovation 2008 Award at the International Consumer Electronics Show held earlier in the year.

The model, with an ultra-slim deep chassis and internally built-in invisible speakers, is sold at a suggested retail price of 2.5 million won (US$2,454).

South Korea is the world's largest maker of high-end televisions, with LG Electronics ranking as the No. 2 seller of televisions in the world last year, with a market share of 11.4 per cent, next to Samsung Electronics Co., according to market researcher DisplaySearch.