Viewsonic shows Swarovski crystal covered LCD monitor

Viewsonic has revealed a 22inch display, the VX2255wmb/h LCD monitor, covered in the sparkling gems.

There’s a choice of designs and the opportunity of customising the display while the specification is pretty impressive too. It includes a 1680x1050 resolution with 300 cd/m2 brightness, 1000:1 contrast ratio, a 5ms response time, integrated speakers and a 1.3 Megapixel webcam.

There’s no word on prices yet while Viewsonic exhibits the screens at trade shows, but don’t expect them to come cheap.

Sharp launches Aquos LCD TVs

Sharp has announced an addition to its Aquos LCD TVs with the launch of the stylish D64U series. The series includes 65”- (LC-65D64U), 52”- (LC-52D64U), 46”- (LC-46D64U) and 42”- (LC-42D64U) TVs.

According to Sharp, these TVs are 25% slimmer than the previous models. Thus the TVs will look more elegant and will be more space saving.

Other features of the Aquos LCD TVs are:

# 20% lighter than previous models
# Full 1080p resolution
# 10,000:1 contrast ratio
# 176-degree viewing angle
# 3 HDMI 1.3 inputs
# 2 component inputs
# 3 composite inputs
# 1 S-video inputs
# Dedicated PC input
# RS-232C for system control
# Energy Star qualified, and power consumption is lower than previous AQUOS models

“The AQUOS LCD TV line has always set the standard in technology and picture quality. Today, we set a new standard in design,” said Bob Scaglione, senior vice president and group manager, Product and Marketing Group, Sharp Electronics Corporation.

Scaglione added, “With its graceful, space-saving design and full-HD resolution, Sharp’s AQUOS D64U series provides the ultimate home entertainment experience with the perfect balance of style and performance.”

Sharp is shipping the Aquos LCD TVs by August except LC-65D64U which will reach the market by next month. The new TVs prices will start from $2,099.99 (around Rs. 1,23,480).

New E-series LCD monitors by BenQ

BenQ has announced a new line of LCD monitors targeting high performance and value-focused home and business users. The new E-series offers 13 models ranging from traditional 4:3 to 16:10 widescreen, and all models feature a 5ms response time and a viewing angle of up to 170-degrees plus BenQ's proprietary Senseye+Photo Technology.

BenQ's Senseye+Photo Technology offers preset modes that provide instant settings for different usage scenarios including standard, dynamic, movie, photo and sRGB mode, explained BenQ. The sRGB mode ensures color accuracy on-screen for precise color editing to reflect accurate colors that are compliant with the industry-standard sRGB color space and ensures color consistency when connecting to sRGB-compliant devices such as digital camera, scanner and printer, added the company.

The E Series not only offers a sleek appearance, but also comes with a speaker bar hung beneath the screen, making it a fit to any desktop or room, according to BenQ.

All models from the E-series offer a 5ms response time, making them suitable for business, home entertainment and other applications that require high display performance, said BenQ. With a fast response time, graphics and fast-moving scenes are rendered on the monitor screen, with no lagging or blurring, the company pointed out.

Furthermore, all models offered in the E-series are Energy Star certified with reduced power consumption to minimize environmental impact.

Panasonic launch 37-inch LCD HDTVs

Panasonic manufacturer, Matsushita Electric Industrial, has announced plans to launch 37-inch Panasonic LCD HDTVs in Japan in September.

The company has previously produced only Plasma HDTVs in the 37-inch or larger range, although it does produce LCD sets in smaller sizes.

The move is in response to the growing popularity of LCD flat-screens over Plasma. Recent research from DisplaySearch reported a 54 percent increase in global LCD TV sales in the first quarter of 2007, while Plasma sales fell nine percent.

Plasma TVs once dominated the large-screen flat-TV market, providing a more natural picture at a lower price. They have been overtake by LCD screens as manufacturers developed larger and more efficient production lines able to produce LCD TVs at lower prices.

Despite this trend Matsushita emphasises that it has not changed its overall strategy and still plans to focus on Plasma in the larger-screen category.

Matsushita’s 37-inch full high-definition LCD TV will cost $2,508. Its launch in Japan will be followed with a release in overseas markets by the end of the year.

Apple Cinema Display

It's a gorgeous monitor with remarkable output. And at 22 inches, it's the largest LCD on the market.

The Cinema Display has all the specs we like to see in LCD monitors. It serves as a two-port USB hub, and it's viewable at 160 degrees. Interestingly, Apple has created a new display interface technology that combines the USB, power, and video signals into one.

Optimized for 1,600 by 1,024 display, the Apple Cinema Display can show movies in their native wide-screen format without scaling the picture. Naturally this makes it an ideal option for anybody doing serious film production

Plasma manufacturers can't keep up with LCD

Though revenue from plasma display panels (PDPs) shipments is on an upswing right now, that's not going to last, according to iSuppli.

It's been predicted for some time now that liquid crystal display (LCD) panels would eat away at the plasma industry, and now market research indicates that plasma panels--including the kind used in TVs--will reach their revenue-generating peak in the next two years. Plasma makers made $7.7 billion last year, and are on track to make $8.6 billion this year. In 2008, they'll top out at $10.2 billion, according to iSuppli.

It's all downhill after that, with heavy price competition from the LCD industry to blame. Though this has been predicted for a while now, PDPs have actually enjoyed a slight boost in growth recently because of the competition among all panel makers, more efficient manufacturing processes and lower costs for materials. All these factors have lowered prices and increased sales lately, but it's not going to last, and revenue will begin to fall, iSuppli says.

For the first quarter of 2007, the world's largest plasma panel maker, Matsushita, retained its lead with 31.5 percent of the market, followed by LG with 24.7 percent and Samsung SDI with a 22.9 percent share.

In what's likely related news, Matsushita, which sells plasmas TVs under the Panasonic brand in the U.S., announced today that it would broaden its LCD lineup to include 37-inch TVs.

Panasonic Announce a 37-inch LCD TV

Japanese customers will be able to purchase a brand new 37-inch Full HD, Panasonic LCD television. A 37-inch LCD TV would hardly be breaking news if it were not for the fact that Matsushita, the maker of Panasonic, had invested so heavily in plasma. Enter the 37LZ75, a very nice 37-inch option from a top-notch electronics company. It is the only 37-inch offering in the Panasonic Viera line-up to offer 1,920×1,080 resolution. It supersedes its equally sized plasma rivals and does so at a reasonably affordable price.

The 37LZ75 is standard fare for a good quality LCD. It features a full high-definition display, a pair of HDMI ports, and a RGB monitor port should you decide to hook it up to your PC and an SD memory card slot, which will allow you to display your photos. On the back a telephone port is clearly visible, no doubt for pay per view. The last port of interest is for LAN. The electronic program guide looks quite slick, but the most interesting feature for many people is that it supports acTVila, a news portal system for the television that is set to move into video on demand in the not too distant future.

The 37LZ75 will reach other shores by the end of the year.