January 16, 2007
Sony said it would enable most of its new televisions, including HDTV flat screens, to play video from the Internet.
Sony unveiled the plan at this year’s CES and said the drive to combine Internet and other digital video with traditional devices was part of a bid to showcase its four strategic growth areas: video gaming, digital imaging, high definition and mobile products.
Starting early this year, Sony will equip its TVs with an attachable module that can stream broadband HD and other Internet video content, such as programs from Time Warner Inc.’s AOL and Yahoo with the push of a remote control button.
Sony also introduced an icon-based user interface — Xross Media Bar — that is similar to a system already found on its PlayStation 3 (PS3) and PlayStation Portable (PSP) gaming devices.
At Sony’s CES press conference, the company said it was committed to personalization and portability in products that allow consumers to access a variety of entertainment, communication and information without boundaries.
December 27, 2006
Toshiba’s long-awaited SED TV will not be appearing at the Consumer Electronics Show in January.
According to Toshiba and its partner, Canon, SED displays will provide a better picture than LCD or plasma HDTVs. Toshiba also claims that the companies have managed to cut the manufacturing costs so that the TVs won’t cost much more than similarly sized LCDs or plasmas.
SED TVs, however, have been stung by a series of delays. Toshiba and Canon started working together on SED in 1999 and said the first TVs would hit retail shelves in 2005. In October, Toshiba pushed out the release again, saying the first SED TVs would come out in late 2007.
Toshiba did not state whether the cancellation at the show will affect the release date of the first SED TVs. A Toshiba representative declined to explain the reason for the cancellation, but a note sent to people with appointments to see the SED TV at CES said it wasn’t due to technical issues.
“The reason is neither a technical nor business issue, but we are not allowed to disclose details due to confidentiality obligation,” the note read. “Toshiba further believes that the issue will be resolved soon, and then we will be able to come back to the U.S. for a 55-inch SED demo.”
Analysts and competitors say that the latest delays have hurt the chance for SED to secure a place in the market. Prices for LCD and plasmas HDTVs have been dropping rapidly over the past few years and often faster than expected, while sales have climbed.
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