JVC unveiled an extensive 2005 audio/video lineup here at CES but also looked farther into the future by demonstrating a new high-speed LCD display technology and a hybrid DVD/Blu-ray disc.
The non-recordable hybrid disc features three layers: dual DVD-layers topped by a 25GB high-definition Blu-ray layer for a total of 33.5GB capacity, said Karl Bearnarth, corporate strategy and marketing VP. JVC, which supports Blu-ray technology over the rival HD-DVD format, said the technology is intended to eliminate dual-inventory SKUs for prerecorded-video dealers.
JVC has asked the Blu-ray Disc Association to adopt the technology as an official Blu-ray spec and is working on a four-layer disc providing two Blu-ray layers and two DVD layers for a total of 58.5GB of storage capacity.
The high-speed LCD technology, which will be incorporated in JVC’s next-generation LCD TVs, will reduce motion noise to prevent fast-moving images from blurring, Bearnarth said. It is not certain whether the technology will be available in 2005 in JVC products, but the company’s intention is to include it “as soon as possible,” he said.
For the shorter term, the company expanded its direct-view LCD TV collection, scaled backed its plasma selection, and expanded its selection of HD-ILA rear-projection TVs. Executive VP Craig Geiger called the LCoS-based HD-ILA technology an “absolute success.” JVC has demonstrated that “it works, delivers stunning pictures, and can be reliably mass-produced,” he contended, even though other companies have dropped out of LCoS.
Two of the HD-ILA models, with 61-inch and 70-inch screen sizes, are the company’s first with native 1,080p resolution. A 40-inch LCD TV also features 1080p.
In satellite radio, the company unveiled its first boombox docking station for a Sirius satellite plug-and-play tuner and expanded Sirius-ready capability to eight of 11 autosound head units, which will connect to a JVC-dedicated Sirius tuner.
In home audio, four new A/V receivers include JVC’s first two that up-convert all video inputs to an HDMI output. All four are the company’s first to incorporate USB connections to stream music from a PC, and two also use 2.4GHz wireless to stream music from a PC.
Likewise, two shelf systems incorporate USB connectivity for the first time, and a third streams music wireless from a PC.
