Mitsubishi Digital Electronics America Introduces New Line Of HDTVs Irvine, CA - Mitsubishi Digital Electronics America, Inc. recently announced its new multi-dimensional HDTVs for 2008, which will take sight and sound to new heights for consumers demanding only the best in quality and performance from their HDTVs. New 2008 product highlights include thinner frame and brighter DLP models and Ultra Thin Frame LCD HDTVs with improved sound capabilities. Mitsubishi also has named its recently announced Laser TV, which will be branded as LaserVue and will be available to consumers in the 3rd Quarter of 2008. "Because Mitsubishi has focused on large-format televisions for more than two decades, we have a unique understanding of our customers wants, needs and expectations from their HDTVs," said Frank DeMartin, vice president, marketing, at Mitsubishi Digital Electronics America. "Our new 2008 HDTVs are a direct result of listening to our customers, and we have delivered multi-dimensional products that will take their viewing experience to a new level." The Big Picture -- New 1080p DLP HDTVs Mitsubishi continues to lead the competition with the largest DLP HDTV available at 73". The new 2008 product line will include three new 73" 1080p DLP HDTV models along with 60" and 65" sizes -- all featuring thinner frames, increased brightness and 3D-ready capability. These new models also will leverage Mitsubishi's exclusive 6-Color Processor for extraordinarily vivid color reproduction. "Mitsubishi's 1080p DLP HDTVs create a truly immersive 3D experience with picture quality that far exceeds that of previous 3D displays," said David Naranjo, director of product development at Mitsubishi Digital Electronics America. "3D content is already available today via PC media systems and our 3D-ready televisions will allow customers to take advantage of 3D formatted movie, sports, and video game content when available in the future." Mitsubishi's Diamond DLP HDTV line offers the ultimate large screen performance and design. Exclusive Diamond features include Smooth120Hz to optimize fast action scenes and Dark Detailer for higher contrast imagery along with a high gloss design and Blue Light Accent. More Picture and Sound in Less Space -- New LCD HDTVs Mitsubishi is introducing seven Ultra Thin Frame 1080p LCD HDTV models ranging from 40" to 52" putting Mitsubishi on the map as the only brand to offer consumers a complete line of Ultra Thin Frame LCD HDTVs. Mitsubishi reduced frame widths by more than 10 percent on all LCD models to under one inch. In addition to thinner frames, other new features include low-profile speakers offering improved sound, Smooth 120Hz Film Motion and GalleryPlayer technology. Mitsubishi's entire line of LCD HDTVs feature Smooth 120Hz Film Motion, taking 120Hz to the next level with dejudder for film originated content. In the conversion of film-to-video for display, 24Hz artifacts can be seen in slow panning scenes and Smooth 120Hz Film Motion eliminates this artifact for smooth, crisp, fast and slow action content. The new LCD additions also will continue to leverage 10bit Panels, 6-Color Processor, x.v.Color and Deep Color. Consumers can turn a Mitsubishi LCD HDTV into a work of art with GalleryPlayer software, which enables display of stunning high-definition art and photography. Users can select images from GalleryPlayer's comprehensive library of licensed digital photography and reproductions from National Geographic, The Metropolitan Museum of Art and others. Customers may download the GalleryPlayer software at http://www.galleryplayer.com and load on to a USB drive for installation in all Mitsubishi LCD HDTVs. Mitsubishi's Diamond LCD HDTV line offers the ultimate flat-panel performance and design. Exclusive Diamond features include Variable Smooth120Hz Film Motion to optimize movie reproduction, a high performance, low profile speaker design for high-quality sound, DeepField Imager for higher contrast imagery and a high gloss design with Blue Light Accent. True Dimension Experience: LaserVue At the Consumer Electronics Show in January 2008, Mitsubishi launched a new category of large-format televisions with ground-breaking laser technology, and today the company announced the brand name for its new Laser TV -- LaserVue. As the first-ever laser-powered television, LaserVue will deliver a range of color never before seen in home entertainment. Precise and focused, the purity of laser light surpasses current high-definition technologies. Today's HDTVs display less than 40 percent of the color spectrum that the eye can see. Now, for the first time ever, laser produces twice the color. Laser beams provide the widest range of rich, complex colors, along with the most clarity and depth of field. Mitsubishi LaserVue TVs not only provide the ultimate picture quality, they are also capable of delivering a true 3D viewing experience. In addition, they are environmentally friendly, consuming approximately one-half the power of today's LCD TVs, and approximately one-third the power consumption of plasma TVs. "Mitsubishi has created a new category in television with laser technology and now we are creating an exciting new brand, LaserVue, which we believe consumers will come to equate with the industry's best performing televisions," continued DeMartin. Mitsubishi will ship LaserVue televisions to authorized retailers in the 3rd Quarter of 2008. New Pinnacle PCTV HD Sticks Deliver HDTV On A PC Mountain View, CA - Pinnacle Systems, Inc., the consumer division of Avid Technology Inc., announced recently the next generation of its Pinnacle PCTV HD Stick, and Pinnacle PCTV HD Pro Stick -- the number one selling TV tuner for PCs in the U.S. retail market in 2007, according to NPD. In addition to delivering free digital HD and SD TV over-the-air (ATSC), these new Pinnacle PCTV HD and HD Pro Sticks now support unencrypted digital cable (ClearQAM) channels and include a next-generation tuner/demodulator with more sensitive reception of both analog and digital TV signals and, in the case of the PCTV HD Pro Stick, even FM radio. About the size of a flash drive, the new Pinnacle PCTV HD Sticks provide consumers with the brilliant sharpness of digital HDTV with resolutions up to 1080i, by simply plugging the device into a USB port on their PC. The addition of ClearQAM support allows cable TV subscribers to enjoy their favorite over-the-air (OTA) digital channels with optimal quality by connecting the digital cable directly to their PC. The affordable, easy-to-use Pinnacle PCTV HD and HD Pro Sticks are for laptop users, travelers and students, who want to experience HD-quality TV at home or on-the-go without having to pay expensive service fees. They are also compelling solutions for Windows Vista and WindowsXP MCE owners who did not purchase a PC TV tuner with their systems. "With the February 17th, 2009 shut down of analog television approaching, users are considering cost-effective alternatives to paying for cable and satellite TV or buying a new HD TV," said Tanguy Leborgne, Pinnacle Systems Vice President of Worldwide Marketing. "At just $99 U.S., the new PCTV HD Pro Stick can provide consumers with savings of up to $1,000 on their subscription fees and it even works as a Personal Video Recorder (PVR). All you need is your laptop or desktop computer." The Pinnacle TVCenter Pro software bundled with the new tuners delivers fully functional PVR capabilities that make it easy to watch, TimeShift and record SD and HD TV. For added convenience, users have the option of viewing programs in full-screen mode or in a scalable window while using other applications. An integrated Electronic Programming Guide (EPG) is included to locate programs and schedule recordings. Shows can be recorded to the user's hard drive or direct to DVD for playback on a DVD player. The new Pinnacle PCTV HD Pro Stick offers all of these features plus a broad range of additional capabilities ranging from stereo sound for both digital and analog TV, stereo FM radio reception and the ability to capture a video signal from a cable/satellite set-top box or camcorder with the A/V adapter cable provided. It also supports the DivX format and includes a trial version for MPEG-4 support which enables output to a PSP or iPod. NTT Electronics Develops HD H.264/MPEG-2 Multi-Format Encoder & Decoder Modules Tokyo - NTT Electronics Corporation (hereafter, NTT Electronics, President: Tomoyuki Toshima; HQ: Shibuya-ku, Tokyo) has developed HDTV encoder and decoder modules (the SC50KE and the SC50KD, respectively) that are dually compatible with H.2641 and MPEG-2. These products maintain the high-quality video of the VASA2 single-chip coding integrated circuit (IC). The VASA IC has brought superior results for the use of MPEG-2 in HDTV environments within the broadcasting industry and includes various peripherals and high-speed memory, and features on the newly-developed H.264/MPEG-2 encoder IC, SARAENC, and the decoder IC, SARADEC.3 The products are comprised of simple devices, but realize professional high-quality images. Due to the demand for high-quality video and more efficient and compact devices, there has been a need for H.264, 4:2:2 chroma-compatible codec products in the broadcasting equipment industry. Additionally, the need to support the currently predominant MPEG-2 format still exists. NTT Electronics’ products are the only multi-format encoder and decoder modules in the world that meet these market needs. The modules also feature the encoder and decoder ICs as well as the necessary peripherals and high-speed memory. This will contribute to the development of smaller and more advanced broadcasting devices as well as to shorter development times. NTT Electronics has transitioned to mass production for these products and will begin taking orders in April 2008. In addition, NTT Electronics will display these products at NAB20084 at the Las Vegas Convention Center from April 14th through the 17th. Development History As broadcasters around the world convert to digital high-definition formats, the transition from the MPEG-2 format to the H.264 format is making headway, offering more efficient compression and increasing the demand for ICs that support both formats as well as both the SD and HD formats. There is also a need for higher bit-rates for image compression during video editing and contribution so that the image stays faithful to the original source. For broadcasting facilities that transmit multiple video and audio signals within a limited bandwidth, there is also a need to minimize as much as possible the image deterioration that accompanies lower bit-rates. Using technologies cultivated while developing VASA, NTT Electronics developed the industry’s only multi-format encoder and decoder ICs, the SARAENC and SARADEC. These ICs contain the latest high-quality conversion architecture to meet market needs, such as field/frame adaptive coding5. With additional support for a wide range of bit-rates, ranging from 6 to 40 Mbps (H.264), NTT Electronics meets its customers’ diverse needs. The SC50KE and SC50KD are modules that include the above ICs, peripheral devices and high-speed memory. In addition to making broadcasting equipment more compact and functional, they also help shorten development time. Furthermore, by combining the SC50KE and SC50KD modules, it is possible to have high-quality transcoding from MPEG-2 to H.264 or from H.264 to MPEG-2, with the ability to maintain built-in coding information. Starting with the development of the world’s first HDTV-compatible single-chip codec ICs (including the VASA), NTT Electronics has built on its success in advanced design technology. The company will continue to advance the capabilities of its broadcasting codec ICs to further its reputation in the worldwide broadcast market. Utilizing its in-depth experience and refined technical capabilities, NTT Electronics can flexibly customize products to meet any customer’s needs. Characteristics and Applications of SC50KE & SC50KD A. The newly developed H.264/MPEG-2 encoder and decoder ICs (SARAENC and SARADEC) are built-in. With support for both the H.264 and MPEG-2 formats, it smoothes the transition from the currently predominant MPEG-2 format to the H.264 format, the demand for which is expected to grow. B. 4:2:2 chroma-support for both H.264 and MPEG-2. Applicable for video servers handling a variety of image formats as well as for the contribution. C. Modules include H.264/MPEG-2 video, peripheral features and high-speed memory. The easily handled modules include the latest ICs, which can shorten development time for the advanced encoder and decoder systems. D. Two ports for audio input (PES) and three for user data input (PES) The encoder module includes external PES inputs for audio and user data, enabling the use of multiple audio signals or other user data, such as subtitling and control signals. E. Principal Applications Applicable for professional video devices, such as contribution equipment, including satellite news gathering (SNG), field pick-up units (FPU), and video servers. Future Plans Development plans include technology that shortens the latency (100msec) and the creation of a credit card-sized SD module. 1H.264 was created as a standard in 2004 jointly by the International Telecommunication Union and Telecommunication Standardization Sector (ITU-T) and the International Standards Organization (ISO) for video codecs. It is also known as MPEG4 AVC. It is capable of realizing more than twice the data compression rates of MPEG-2. 2The NTT-internal code name, an abbreviation of Versatile and Advanced Signal-processing Architecture, for the HDTV codec for contribution compliant with the MPEG-2 international standard. This IC was the first in the world to realize an MPEG-2 HDTV codec on a single chip. 3The Super Advanced Real-time codec Architecture for H.264 professional implementations. Enables multi-chip HDTV-level encoding and transfers at the level of single-chip SDTV processes. 4The annual conference of the National Association of Broadcasters. 5The SARA technology supports both macroblock-adaptive frame/field (MBAFF) and picture-adaptive frame/field (PAFF) methods to realize superlative encryption efficiency.