Sony readies two new HDTVs for the holiday season
It's only July, but consumer electronics companies are already finalizing their HDTV sales plans for the holiday season. This week, Sony already began showing off the high-def components it anticipates consumers will want come December.
NEW YORK CITY (BetaNews) - Sony this week talked up its two newest entries in the HDTV field -- the Bravia KDL-55XBR8 and KDL-40XBR7 -- both targeted at release this fall, at a press event here Wednesday evening.
Sony hasn't yet announced pricing for its two new HDTVs. But the company was happy to show them off -- along with an upcoming Blu-ray console for audiophiles -- at "Sony's Home Sweet Holidays" event. It's one a whole genre of pre-holiday press activities, typically held during June and July, where vendors start divulging their fall and winter product plans far in advance of the December rush.
Sometimes, companies ask journalists to sign nondisclosure agreements (NDAs) around such plans, much as they do with customers and partners. For forthcoming products discussed this week, however, Sony did not.
The upcoming 55-inch KDL-55XBR8 and 40-inch KDL-40XBR7 flat panel LCD HDTVs will both provide 1080p resolution; DLNA and HDMI compatibility, for home networking; an HD 3D graphics interface; support for 24p True Cinema input; and a Digital Media Extender (DME) ready for optional modules like the Bravia Internet Video Link, according to details provided to BetaNews at the event.
Other features common to both will include Bravia Sync, for quick resume of connected devices; and a Digital Media Port (DMP) for plugging in accessories such as Apple iPods and Network Walkmans.
The 55-inch model -- but not the 40-inch one -- will also integrate triluminous (three-color) LED backlight technology, along with Advanced Color Enhancer Pro (ACE PRO) local dimming technology.
At a completely separate press event on Monday, Sony rolled four new Vaio notebooks PC models. One of the new models -- the Z Series -- will be the first laptop from Sony to offer an internal read-write Blu-ray drive, as opposed to a read-only Blu-ray player, BetaNews was told.
As previously reported in BetaNews, in survey results unveiled just before CES 2008 last January, the Consumer Electronics Association (CEA) found a "big screen TV" took third place -- just after "computer" and "peace and happiness" -- among items that parents would like to receive as holiday items.
Most likely, few people will be too surprised if the CEA's next annual survey turns up similar results, despite high gas prices, low consumer spending, a bad economy overall, and a dearth so far of enough HD video content. After all, HDTV certainly doesn't exactly seem to have hit a saturation point yet, according to some industry analysts. A lot of folks are still working, and the US' conversion to digital television is still set for February 2009.