HDTV models just for show, not retail.............................
twice.virtualmarketing.com
HDTVs To Show, But Not To Go, At CES - -January 8, 1998
By David Elrich
You'll see it in action, but there won't be too much to order. That's the HDTV story in a nutshell for International CES '98. And the tale might not be too much different for the 1999 Las Vegas extravaganza as well.
Don't get us wrong. Dealers will get more than an eyeful of HDTV demonstrations from all of the major TV makers, and even many niche players such as Ampro, Runco and Vidikron. More than 15 companies are showing HDTV at CES in one form or another. Other than on the high end, however, retailers won't be able to place orders for the widely heralded, widescreen TV sets.
Those who do put their money down will be spending lots of cash.
The Panasonic booth will be typical of many others. "We plan to demonstrate 1080i [interlace], all HD formats, and our capabilities," said Jeff Cove, VP/general manager, television division. Cove stressed this would be a technology demonstration; no specific model numbers, pricing or delivery dates are planned.
"We just want to show our capabilities, that we're prepared for the marketplace," Cove added.
Panasonic is one of the key suppliers to the broadcast industry. With this inside view, it is taking a very cautious approach to HDTV. While committed to digital broadcasting at all levels, top executives feel retailers should have realistic expectations.
Executive adviser and former Panasonic president Richard Kraft reminded TWICE that the introduction of color TV took 10 years to reach a million units, "and that was with a technology where every consumer could tell the difference between black-and-white and color pictures." The transition to HDTV may be somewhat slower.
Thomson will also have HDTV out front and center at CES. On display will be the ProScan 61000, a 61" HDTV with a suggested retail of $8,000.
Although there may be confusion in some quarters about what constitutes HD, executive VP Jim Meyer said, "If the screen doesn't show more than a million pixels, it ain't HDTV."
Thomson's set is 1,920 x 1,080 interlace (2,073,600 pixels, to be exact) and decodes all proposed ATSC formats.
Meyer is not expecting great numbers in 1998. "It's the year to get ready," he said, although he hoped HDTVs would be the new status symbols of wealth, thereby boosting sales.
Thomson is also showing a pair of ProScan multimedia televisions that are ready to accept the coming converter box, which now has an estimated price of $600-$700, according to Thomson executives. The PS36800 and PS32800 use data-grade picture tubes.
Zenith will offer HDTV from several approaches. The company expects that its first HDTV product to hit the market will be a full HDTV receiver -- the Z12C Digital Entertainment Terminal -- designed to connect to the existing Zenith data-grade PRO900 projector.
Pricing has not been determined for the digital box. The set-top unit will receive 1080i HDTV signals and the other 17 formats in the digital TV specification and pass them on to any compatible HDTV-ready projector through RGB connectors. The box will include "the Zenith-invented VSD demodulator" and an internal Dolby Digital Surround Sound processor. Pricing and availability date have not be finalized.
Sometime later, Zenith will market a 64" 16:9 widescreen HDTV rear-screen projection set. It will display the full 1080i HDTV format and all formats in the digital TV specification below it.
For Philips, "our plan is to introduce HDTV in the last quarter of 1998," said Jim Newbrough, mainstream business senior VP. "At the show we will have a 64" 16:9 widescreen rear-projection TV with 1080i display capability and the ability to show all of the formats below that, including both interlace and progressive scan."
Philips' set will be fully loaded, Newbrough said, adding that "we have not determined the price yet because I've got to know the final costs of the ICs."
Toshiba is still waiting to see what transpires of the "many unresolved issues surrounding HDTV," said Steve Nickerson, video products marketing VP. Specifically, Toshiba wants answers to "which stations will broadcast the signal, and what kind of format will be used, in which markets and when?"
Toshiba also plans technology "demonstrations" in Las Vegas, but nothing ready for market. Nickerson noted that Toshiba won't be first out of the gate when the first HD broadcasts begin in late summer.
As a manufacturer, he's concerned about the number of brands and models retailers can -- and will -- carry.
Scott Ramirez, Hitachi's TV senior product manager, said the company will have demonstrations of projection TVs using full HDTV (1080i) at CES. Hitachi will also show a 36" progressive-scan model for use with SD-level signals and set-top boxes.
Ramirez expects to introduce HDTVs in the fall and says the market for progressive-scan TVs will grow in '99: "We see digital TV as the future and are gearing up for the coming digital marketplace."
Bob Scaglione, Sharp's director of A/V product planning, said "they're demonstrating a variety of technologies that could work throughout their line, including a 1080i front projector with a 100" screen, a 34" widescreen direct-view set using 480 progressive scan, and a 32"-wide direct-view showing 480 interlace.
Mitsubishi hasn't been on the show floor at CES for almost a decade, but this year it will demonstrate its previously announced rear-projection 1080i HDTVs.
According to Bob Perry, Mitsubishi marketing director, the sets start shipping in the fall with prices ranging from $8,000-$11,000. The actual models (with specs and features) will be unveiled at Mitsubishi's May '98 dealer line show.
Vidikron, known for ultra-high-quality -- and high-priced -- front-projection TVs, wants showgoers to experience "what HDTV can do for everyday viewing," said VP James Wellnitz.
The company will use a W-VHS player running an HD tape on a Vision One projector with 1080i resolution. The Vision One will cost a consumer $45,000 and features three 9" optically coupled CRTs. Also on display will be the Stratos Two 3-chip DLP projector for $59,000.
"Our intention is to bring HDTV under $10,000 as soon as we can," Wellnitz said, but a lot depends on which format the broadcasters eventually choose.
Runco, a high-end projection TV manufacturer based in Haywood, Calif., expected to show an HDTV tuner to match with one of the firm's HDTV ready projectors.
Unity Motion of St. Louis is gearing up to provide the programming and a satellite dish capable of receiving the signals, as well as rear-projection and direct-view HDTVs.
"We're HDTV programmers and equipment integrators," said Sean Henry, Unity Motion sales and marketing VP. "We're well aware of the chicken-and-egg syndrome faced by Sarnoff back with the introduction of color TV. That's why we're putting packages together."
In Las Vegas, Unity Motion will show 525 progressive and 1,080 interlace on 28"-, 32" and 72" widescreen TVs as well as a 21" PC monitor. It plans to start testing in mid-February and by April expects to broadcast two channels of HDTV using 1080i and 525p. By early summer Unity hopes to have four to six channels, expanding to 12 channels by the fall. Currently, no programming deals have been announced.
Eventually, consumers will be able to buy a 28" widescreen set, a Ku-band dish, and IRD for around $5,500; the 72" rear projector brings the scale to $10,000, and there's a $50 a month subscription fee for the programming.
Samsung will show its SVP-555JHD, a 55" rear-projection system capable of displaying the 1080i signal and the other 17 formats.
Key components include: an integrated ATSC demodulator/decoder; matching digital TV broadcast signal equalizer to eliminate multipath errors; an MPEG2 video decoder; and universal format converter to translate any DTV or NTSC signal to either 1080i, 720P or 480P.
The Samsung unit includes a complete Dolby Digital decoding system for HDTV and DVD. |
