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Copyright © 1999 Adams Business Media, Inc. Would You Like A Reprint of
this Article? The Advent of Low-Profile Entertainment By Richard Mandel Flat screen television finally arrives for home use It's what the futurists and fantasy writers have alluded to for decades. Versions of it were part of the cover art of Hugo Gernsbach pulps, and Ming the Merciless, on more than several occasions, would use his to spy on the doings of Flash Gordon (played by that All-American Hero, Buster Crabb!). Now, in the waning days before we become The Late Twentieth Century, consumers are able to watch flat screen television in their own homes. Philips Consumer Electronics Company, who celebrated their 100th anniversary just 8 years ago, is one of the first companies to go to market with the FlatTV. Their history began with manufacturing light bulbs, but over the years Philips has laid claim to many "firsts," most notably the invention of the audio cassette and co-invention of the compact disc, as well as the related CD-ROM, CD-R and CD-RW formats. And, they are still a world leader in the manufacture of lighting. The FlatTV represents a crossroads in consumer electronics. Its parentage includes
developments in digital imaging and data transfer, plasma display technology, and the
latest practices in electronics packaging. Components include the 100 lb., 42-in. diagonal
screen, which is just 4.5-in. deep; a control box, containing the tuner and other
circuitries in a 10- x 17-in. box; a separate sub-woofer; and two connecting cables 16 ft.
in length. The length of the cables, combined with placement of the remote control's
receiver in the frame around the screen, allows the control box to be placed anywhere in
the room, even in a closed cabinet with other devices, such as a PC. And that's an
important aspect of digital TV -- the display can also serve as a computer monitor without
requiring adapter boxes or other interconnect apparatus. The digital movie box Philips' FlatTV has the option of being purchased digital-ready, but not necessarily High Definition digital. Consumers will discover that there is a distinct difference between the two -- that a high-definition TV receiver is to standard digital as a $900 stereo amplifier is to a $200 unit. There is, at least presently, a notable price increase per unit for the additional sharpness HDTV provides. It will be up to consumers to decide if they can tell the difference in clarity, and whether it warrants the cost. Most talk shows do not seem to benefit from higher resolution. Consumers will have less choice, however, on whether to purchase digital receivers or not, since the FCC, by the end of 2006, intends for all television broadcast stations in North America to transmit digital signals only. This also will create, as the target year gets closer, a large consumer market for converter boxes that will allow access to the digital feed, while still viewing on the "old-fashioned" analog set. Eventually, attrition will relegate analog televisions to museum exhibits, alongside crystal receivers and eight-track tape decks. The digital signal, besides providing clearer video and audio feed, will also supply consumers with the added feature of information datacasts. Digital receivers, whether televisions or converters, would enable viewers to acquire information on products or services used in an instructional program or during a product advertisement -- even the possibility of clicking on a piece of furniture during a program to determine manufacturer and where a similar unit could be purchased. Stats on a sports figure or team could be viewed concurrently during a game, and newscasts could offer transcripts or related stories, through hot buttons like those presently used on Internet sites. Against the wall
The panel is dimensioned to a 16:9 aspect ratio, a growing trend in home entertainment design. The format matches that of the movie-house, so selections from a film collection or video store may be viewed without cropping. Moreover, Philips bundled a Dolby Prologic audio circuit into the control box for theater-like sound. The system can deliver up to 109W RMS, with 35W to the subwoofer and the remainder driving nine speakers in the panel's aluminum frame and two surround speakers. The wide screen can also be switched to permit different modes of viewing movies (with or without black bars framing the image), and for viewing shows broadcast in 4:3 format. Through the means of a dual tuner arrangement, users are able to view two different programs concurrently in a side-by-side arrangement, rather than as a small insert as with today's Picture-in-Picture. Two cables connect the panel to the control box. The signal line has 14 conductors terminating in standard 15-pin VGA connectors, transmitting audio and video data plus information from the IR sensor for the remote controller. The power cable is terminated in 24-pin connectors, carrying various voltages for drive and control of the plasma device. Total power consumed by the system is 450W, with total draw during standby just 2W. Life beyond CNN, Barney and the video store As mentioned at the start of this article, the modest size of the control box allows it to be stowed within a cabinet with other audio and video apparatus. The array of connection ports for outside sources include Y/C, CVBS, S-Video and Audio, and A/V. The tuners can cope with either NTSC or PAL sources, the latter jacking in through a standard SCART connection. A PC can be attached through a 15-pin D-sub connection, opening the possibility of using the FlatTV as an element in viewing and editing digital video programs. Or, the kids can play computer games when there's nothing on the satellite. If there's any downside to the FlatTV, it would have to be the $15,000 pricetag. But, if the HP1 wristwatch (first watch/calculator, by Hewlett-Packard -- retail price $900+) is a lesson, there will be buyers. And there will be many opportunities for competitors to further develop technologies that will only lower the cost of the next flat screen televisions. For more information, contact Philips Electronics North America, 1251
Avenue of the Americas, New York, NY 10020-1104. 212-536-0050. http://www.philips.com Copyright © 1999 Adams Business Media, Inc. Would You Like A Reprint of
this Article? |
The key element of Philips' FlatTV is the AC plasma panel, which is
manufactured by Fujitsu. As with similar display panels, a neon-xenon plasma is sealed
between two glass plates. Electricity carried by the gas excites phosphors within tiny
individual chambers, the phosphors being doped to glow red, green or blue. Each individual
cluster of red, green and blue chambers forms one pixel, and there are more than four
hundred thousand pixels contained in one Fujitsu panel, which can be viewed from oblique
angles and under most lighting conditions. Philips states that the panel can generate over
16 million colors.