Tag Archives: LCD

Samsung Acquires Sony’s Stake in S-LCD for $939 million

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Sony
Sony

Back in 2004, Samsung and Sony joined together to produce Liquid Crystal Displays (LCD). More than TV’s and computer monitors, these LCD’s were also in phones, cars, appliances and other items needing a display. Two months after Sony announced it was reorganizing due to a 1.2 billion dollar loss, Sony has sold their part in the LCD venture for $939 million (1.08 trillion Korean won).

In the agreement, Samsung will acquire all of Sony’s shares (329,999,999) of the S-LCD Corporation. They will still cooperate in engineering efforts on LCD panel technology.

Transaction close date is expected on 1/19/2012

Sony Press Release

Samsung Press Release

Sony TV is Splitting to Three – LCD, Outsourcing, Next Generation TV

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Sony
Sony

Sony announced that starting tomorrow, they will be re-organizing their TV division into three parts. The LCD TV, outsourcing, and next generation TV divisions. The idea is to better define the market to make better TVs.

Sony missed their July-September results last Wednesday, and analysts outlook is going to be under 200 bn yen (2.63 billion). It’s an eighth annual loss, Reuters reports.

Sony and Samsung Joint Venture in Jeopardy?

The LCD division is a joint venture with Samsung. As Market Watch is reporting, Sony might end this alliance that they had since 2004. Since LCD is changing to LED technologies, it is unknown how this partnership will stay fruitful.

Outsourcing Project

The outsourcing division is just that – certain TV parts are outsourced to reduce production costs. Sony began outsourcing in 2009 – which was odd for the electronics giant to do.  By outsourcing, they were able to compact their factories to bring profits up.

Next generation TV division researches the current trends of the TV. From Over the Top Television standards, to screen resolutions, OLED technology and sound breakthroughs.

Sony and Google TV

Of course, earlier in the week, Google announced upgrades to Google TV (which Sony produces for televisions and Blu-Ray players). With a better interface and the additional Android market, it breathes new life into the TV. While last years launch was not heralded, Google hopes this revamp will get Google TV in the right direction. Therefore, Sony could see a good bump in the market.

Whether this split will provide stability is to be seen. The division shakeup will happen on November 1st.

 

New Sony DSLR SLT-A77, A65, NEX-7 Makes my Mouth Drool

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Sony SLT A77
Sony SLT A77

Sony announced some new DSLR cameras today. All three working at 24.3MP and using the APS-C format. Announced as the SLT-A77, SLT-A65 and NEX-7, these new DSLR cameras will contain fixed translucent mirrors, full manual focus and exposure override.

The SLT-A77 is made of a magnesium-alloy that is touted as weatherproof. It can capture in JPG and RAW formats (12 frames a second) – as well as HD AVCHD video in 60p/60i/24p – up to 29 minutes per video.

Other features of the SLT-A77 include 19-point /11 cross AF system, ISO sensitivity, built in GPS for geo-tagging and dual memory card slots for larger photo shoots.

The Sony Alpha A65 also has the 24.2 MP APS-C imaging sensor and shoots at 10 fps. It has a 15 point AF system and three cross sensors. The NEX-7 also has a 24.2 MP APS-C sensor and 921,000-dot tiltable LCD (with 2.3 million dot OLED viewfinder) screen. It has a slimmer case (more like a point-and-shoot with replaceable lenses).

All three will be sold at B&H only at launch.  The SLT-A77 starts at $1,399.99. The A65 is at $899.99 and the NEX-7 is at $1,199.

Recom Technologies Programmable LCD Video Name Tags

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Sean and Lynn from Recom Technologies demonstrate the programmable LCD video name tags. The name tags use OLED screens and have two gigabytes of internal memory that can be accessed via USB. The video name tag sells for $198 and can be purchased from their website.

Interview by Andy McCaskey of SDR News and Esbjorn Larsen of MrNetCast.com.

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Samsung 58″ Class (58.0″ Diag.) 500 Series 1080p Plasma HDTV

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A few days ago I made a trip to my local Best Buy store and ended up walking out with a Samsung 58” 500 Series Plasma HDTV. I’d gone into the store thinking if I left with anything, it would most likely be an LCD HDTV. However, after spending quite a while comparing picture quality and prices on the massive number of sets covering the big-box store’s back wall, I happened upon the Samsung model PN58C500, a 58” Plasma.

This Samsung Plasma has an absolutely stunning picture, rivaling the best high-end LCD sets that cost two and almost three times more. The PN58C500 sells for $1,197.99. I happened to have a “Best Buy Rewards” coupon for 10% percent off of any HDTV set costing $750 or more, and the coupon did end up applying to the PN58C500. My final price, including our rather high local sales taxes, ended up being $1,147.

There’s no 3D circuitry, but that’s not a problem for me since I consider 3D TV’s (as well as 3D movies) to be a useless gimmick. The PN58C500 has Samsung’s “AllShare DLNA Networking” that allows the set to connect to computers and DLNA servers running on your home network to stream HD video via Ethernet. I’ve also got a Mac Mini, as well as a Western Digital HD Live Plus media player attached directly to the set via my surround sound receiver/switcher.

The PN58C500 has a useful variety of video formatting modes to easily cycle through via the remote control that facilitates getting the right picture format for the particular video you are watching or device you are watching it from. It has 3 HDMI inputs, and is a thin 2.8 inches thick.

The remote control seems to be a bit touchy, needing to be pointed at the set to ensure that remote control commands register. Also, the built-in speakers seem to fire out of the bottom, but the volume levels are more than loud enough to be usable.

If you are looking for a new big-screen HDTV, you can’t go wrong buying this set considering the price versus value. I cannot over-stress the absolutely stunning picture quality this set produces.