Toshiba promises CELL TV for US
updated 02:50 pm EST, Wed January 6, 2010
Toshiba CELL TV coming to US in 2010
Toshiba at its pre-CES keynote discussed what it sees as the core of its future, the CELL TV. The company bills it the "ultimate TV." The first ZX900 CELL TV will be offered at an unspecified date later this year, but will use the eight-core, 3.2GHz Cell processor to convert regular TV to multiple stereoscopic 3D formats thanks to a technology Toshiba calls TriVector. A Net Super Resolution+ feature will also upscale the quality of Internet video for viewing on large panel HDTVs where previous TVs only handled regular video.
The CELL processor will “open a whole new dimension for home entertainment,” promised the company’s new president, Mr. Atsushi Murashawa. Scott Ramirez, the VP of Marketing for Toshiba America’s TV Group embellished, outlining how the industry is changing from “disc to delivery.” This is shown by the decrease of CD and DVD sales and the rise of downloading.
On top of its image quality, the generalized processor will also let the TV access Internet videos, media on USB drives and other multimedia stored on its built-in 1TB hard drive. The ZX900 series will also supply a number of Internet TV channels from partners such as Netflix, VUDU, CinemaNow and Pandora, among others.
Integrated WirelessHD with multi-room compatibility is likewise promised, which will communicate with the satellite media box of the TV that houses a Blu-ray drive. There is DLNA support, and an included RF remote control will allow users to control the system from any room in their house rather than require infrared and a line of sight.
The KIRA2 panel will refresh at a very high 480Hz in 2D mode and 240Hz in 3D mode. Toshiba says it will have record-breaking capabilities, thanks to more LEDs, dimming zones and control. At 512 zones of lighting, it will be more than five times as capable of reproducing deep blacks and true colors than modern LED HDTV sets. A 1,000cd/m2 brightness is due, while the contrast ratio is said to be 9,000,000:1.
The initial shipments will consist of the Genesis design, in both 55- and 65-inch sizes. An Illusion design is due sometime later, with screen sizes set at 46-, 55- and 65 inches. A sound bar is integrated into the ZX900.
