Toshiba Debuts Cell Regza With 3TB Memory

By Steve Smith -- TWICE, 10/6/2009

Chiba City, Japan - Toshiba unveiled its prototype 50-inch Cell Regza 55X1 FullHD LCD TV that features a hard disk drive that can record simultaneously up to eight channels of digital terrestrial broadcasts.

Toshiba Toshiba's 50-inch CELL REGZA Full HD LCD TVThe Cell Regza will debut in Japan during December and in the U.S. sometime next year. It has not been priced as of yet.

It features a chip developed in cooperation with IBM and Sony that has a storage capacity of 3TB, two of which are dedicated to the Cell Regza "time-shift machine" that can do simultaneous recording. There was no word from Toshiba at CEATEC as to whether a U.S. version could record up to eight cable or satellite channels at the same time using a "time-shift button" on the remote control.

The display features a dynamic contrast ratio of 5,000,000:1 and supports "ultra-high-speed recording, enhanced navigation and seamless network interactivity," the company said.

For instance, Toshiba claimed the Cell platform achieves a processing capability of 143 times more than that of a current top-of-the-line Regza TV.

And the LED backlit control system is divided into 512 distinct areas, each with individually controlled lighting. Luminance is pushed to what Toshiba claimed is an industry high of 2.5 times the level of typical TVs.

As part of its network functionality it supports YouTube with a "high-quality picture" using a browser supporting FullHD based on the Opera browser that it co-developed. Cell Regza supports broadband service, DLNA and displays JPEG digital photographs.

Power consumption is controlled by maintaining optimum imaging brightness. It goes into standby mode automatically if no command is reached by the remote for three hours, among other features.

Toshiba also showed a 3-D version of Cell Regza which will offer an interactive 3-D GUI, 1,920 by 1,080 HD quality image for display on a 3,840 by 2,160 (4K 2K panel) in 46-inch and 37-inch sizes. No information on shipment dates or pricing was announced.

(For more on Toshiba and other CEATEC news, visit www.TWICE.com later this week.)