Vizio to Field Active-Shutter and Passive Polarized 3D TVs
Vizio will field active-shutter and passive polarized 3D TVs as a hedge against a market where a 3D system hasn’t emerged yet as a clear-cut winner, Vice President Ken Lowe told us Tuesday at CEA LineShows in New York. The 65-inch passive 3D LCD TV will ship late this year at $3,000-$3,500 as the first in what’s expected to be a line of sets, Lowe said. The TV uses an AU Optronics 1080p panel, though the 3D resolution will likely be lower because of the polarized film applied to the screen. The polarized film adds about $200 to the cost of the set, Vizio officials said. The passive 3D TVs will be packaged with Sensio glasses that sell separately for about $30, Vizio officials said.
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On the active-shutter side, where Vizio is working with RealD, the company will field 55- ($2,599), 47- ($1,999) and 42-inch sets, Lowe said. Vizio also had said at CES it would have a 72-inch model, but it wasn’t included in the list of 3D TVs released at CEA LineShows. The LED-backlit sets will feature 480 Hz panels and will be paired with RealD glasses that retail for about $200. Vizio recently added 42-inch, but isn’t likely to move 3D to smaller sizes this year, company officials said. The sets will likely feature WirelessHD technology, LEDs with local dimming, Vizio Internet Apps (VIA) platform and 802.11n dual band, and SRS StudioSound HD.
As Vizio expands its line of 3D-capable TVs, it won’t deploy 2D/3D conversion chips, Lowe said. The current crop of conversion chips sometimes produce artifacts and confuse background and foreground, Lowe said. “I don’t want to do it until the technology is further developed,” Lowe said. The timing for improving the ICs isn’t clear, he said.
Vizio postponed delivery of its XVT Pro Series 58-inch LED-backlit LCD TV with a 21:9 aspect ratio to early 2011 from fall to add 3D technology, Lowe said. The 120 Hz set allows for full-screen viewing of 2.35:1 films with 2,560x1,080 resolution and includes built-in WirelessHD and VIA platform. Vizio will consider adding larger and some smaller sizes, Lowe said. AU Optronics is producing the 21:9 panels using 8th-generation LCD production that also is optimized for standard 55-inch panels, Lowe said. Unlike its more widely available TVs, the 21:9 sets will likely be initially be limited to CE specialty chains and custom installers, Lowe said.
In addition to WirelessHD, Vizio may deploy Celeno’s CL-1300 Wi-Fi HD chipset that operates in the 5 GHz band in small-screen LCD TVs, Lowe said. Among the companies using Celeno’s ICs for wireless video adapters is Comtrend Corp. Vizio also will field a seven-inch portable TV before moving into seven- and nine-inch mobile DTVs this fall, Lowe said.
Vizio also will ship the VBR231 Blu-ray player ($199) that supports Dolby TrueHD, Dolby Digital Plus and DTS HD audio formats. The dual band 802.11n wireless player is based on Vizio VIA Internet platform that includes links to services from Blockbuster, Netflix, Pandora and others. Vizio also will ship a XWR100 dual band wireless router ($99) containing a USB 2.0 port.
CEA LineShows Notebook
TPV Technology’s AOC brand will field large-size 3D TVs by Q3 2011, Marketing Manager Robert Velez said. The sets’ specs and pricing haven’t been set, he said. “Technology-wise we always focus on the best of what’s available on the market and then bring it to the mass” channel, Velez said. AOC also will ship 32- ($549) and 42-inch ($899) LCD TVs equipped with TimeShift software that allows users to pause, rewind and fast forward 20-25 minutes of 1080p content with up to a 2 GB USB 2.0 drive, Velez said. The technology requires a minimum 512 MB drive, the company said. “We're going to test it out before deciding whether we should go to other sizes, Velez said. The sets have 20-24-watt audio systems, 120 Hz panels and SRS Labs’ TruSurround Sound technology. LEDs also will migrate from AOC’s 19-, 22-, 24- and 27-inch LCDs TVs to 32- and 42-inch models this fall. A white LED edgelit design currently commands a $100-$200 premium at retail, company officials said. AOC’s LED-based line currently ranges from the 19-inch 931swl ($119) with 1,366x768 resolution, 200 candelas and 10,000:1 contrast ratio to the 27-inch 2770Vh1 ($299) with 1080p 300 candelas and 60,000:1 contrast ratio. RadioShack remains AOC’s largest bricks and mortar retailer. While the bulk of RadioShack stores carry 32-inch and under AOC sets, about 20 percent of the chain’s dealers sell up to 42-inch models, Velez said. AOC also is developing 7-, 9- and 10-inch portable TVs and will likely add mobile DTV models, said Michael Lien, North American sales general manager.