Sony Unveils '03 TV, DVD Lines
By Greg Tarr -- TWICE, 3/10/2003
EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J.— Sony unveiled its 2003 color television line featuring new Wega LCD TV models, fully integrated HDTV projection sets and three Grand Wega LCD projection monitors.
Overall, the introductions included digital television monitors in the FD Trinitron Wega direct view, direct-view LCD TV, Grand Wega LCD rear projection and CRT rear projection.
Video product highlights, meanwhile, included Sony's first multi-format DVD recorder and recordable DVD camcorders that made their debuts at the recent International CES.
Sony unveiled three fully integrated rear-projection wide-screen (16:9) sets in the 51W- (KDP-51WS550, $2,700 suggested retail), 57W- (KDP-57WS550) and 65W-inch (KDP-65WS550, $3,500) screen sizes.
All will ship in September, and include built-in ATSC tuning, Micro-Focus CRTs with dual-layer anti-reflective coating and an impregnated cathode ray tube that is said to maximize brightness and focus. In addition, the integrated models all feature Digital Visual Interface (DVI) with HDCP inputs, Enhanced Memory Stick slots and three i.LINK IEEE-1394 digital connections.
Three LCD-based Grand Wega rear-projection monitors feature widescreen 16:9 aspect ratios in the 42W-inch (KF-42WE610, $2,500), 50W-inch (KF-50WE610, $3,000) and the 60W-inch (KF-60WE610, $4,000) screen sizes. Sony also expects to introduce a 70W-inch.
All will ship in September and will include Sony's LCD Optical Engine and Wega Engine, DVI-HDCP connectors and expanded Memory Stick functionality for JPEG file playback.
New CRT-base Hi-Scan HDTV rear-projection monitors include four models in the 46W-inch widescreen tabletop (KP-46WT510, $1,700), 51W- (KP-51WS510, $2,000), 57W- (KP-57WS510, $2,300) and 65W-inch (KP-65WS510, $2,800) widescreen (16:9) screen sizes.
All include the MicroFocus CRT and HD Detailer wideband video amplifier for brighter and sharper images, and DVI-HDCP interfaces.
In direct-view displays, Sony unveiled two new Wega LCD TVs to join the 30W-inch KLV-30XBR900 (spring, $6,000) introduced at CES.
Model KLV-23HR1 (May, $2,700) is a 23W-inch widescreen 16:9 HDTV monitor with 1,280-by-768 pixel resolution, Digital Reality Creation circuitry and a Clean Wire Management System integration design featuring a new organizational process for connecting wires to other home electronics devices.
Model KLV-15HS1 (May, $900) is a 15-inch 4:3 LCD TV with 1,280-by-768 resolution, WOW simulated surround sound and Clean Wire Management system.
New direct-view CRT Hi-Scan HDTV monitors feature the 30W- (KV-30HS510, $1,500) and 34W-inch (KV-34HS510, $2,000) 16:9 screen sizes. They will ship in September and August, respectively, and will include DVI-HDCP inputs and Memory Stick functionality.
Both include DVI-HDCP inputs, HD Detailer, and Memory Stick functionality.
Also new are the previously announced 30W-inch KV-30XBR910 ($2,200, July) and 34W-inch KV-34SBR910 (July, $2,800) Hi-Scan HDTV monitors with Super Fine Pitch FD Trintiron Wega picture tubes.
In DVD products, Sony showed the RDR-GX7 (June, $800) multi-format DVD+RW/-RW/-R DVD recorder, which includes an i.LINK interface for connection with DV format camcorders, Time Base Corrector, Pre-Field Noise Reduction and Pre-Video Equalization.
Sony also announced six DVD players, including a 400-disc changer (DVP-CX985V) due in September at $400, a 5-disc DVD changer with precision progressive-scan output (DVP-NC685V) due in August at $250 and a 5-disc changer with entry-level progressive scan output (DVP-NC555P) due in May at $180.
