Can't wait until December for Toshiba's CELL REGZA LCD? Sony is bringing its own 56-inch 3,840x2160 quad-HD display to market November 1 in Japan. Priced at 6,825,000 ($76,583) including taxes this is clearly for pros only, hence the TRIMASTER name referring to the three elements combined within -- exact color, accurate picture and reliability -- thanks to a RGB LED backlit panel built with incredible picture reproduction and exact calibration (with included software via a connected PC) in mind. While it's cheaper than JVC's $175k 4K projector, unless you're mastering the next Pixar flick, viewing high res satellite imagery or can't live without four HD feeds on one screen even the most well heeled amongst may be better served scouring bargain bins for a used Westinghouse D56QX1 for now.

[Via AV Watch]

Coming straight out of a brand new 10G production facility in Sakai, Sharp's line of LX HDTVs (in 60-, 52-, 46- and 40-inch sizes) are all sporting the latest in LCD technology with UV²A panels and LED backlighting. Unfortunately, like Sony, these new screens abandon the higher quality RGB LED technology of the pricey XS1 series for cheaper white LEDs. Still, with a price of around $5,000 for a 52-inch compared to the $12,000 sticker shock of the XS1, it's easy to see why the switch was made. Other improvements include a light sensor for auto-calibration, a six speaker (5 speakers on the 40-inch) integrated 2.1 channel sound system with "Duo Bass" subwoofer and the usual assortment of VOD and AQUOS network support in store for Japanese buyers this November. While already available on a few U.S. models expect the new tech to spread across Sharp's U.S. lineup shortly, not to mention Sony and anyone other parties interested in a piece of the company's suddenly expanded manufacturing muscle.

[Via AV Watch & Akihabara News]

Sharp is taking some cues from the nearly dearly departed print publishing world for its next line of LCDs, adding two colors to the typical RGB gamut. Cyan and yellow, half of the CMYK spread that makes your Sunday Garfield sketch pop, are going to be added to the company's displays to make up what it's dubbing "Multi-Primary-Color Technology." The tech is said to be able to reproduce 99 percent of all colors able to be perceived by the human eye -- because apparently 1.7 billion colors from a traditional LCD wasn't enough. The displays will be on display at the Society for Information Display Symposium in San Antonio starting next week. So, lucky Texans, prepare to get your cone cells massaged.

JVC seemed pretty proud of its LT-42WX70 back at CES, and while some may consider this unit's main selling point a fillip, graphic professionals will likely disagree. The Xiview LT-42WX7 is a 42-inch 120Hz 1080p panel which targets imaging junkies and those who just can't get enough of those wild, vivacious colors seen in Family Guy re-runs. Said display covers 96 percent of the Adobe RGB color space, theoretically making it suitable for image editing. If you're buying all that, you can voice your support right now with $2,399.95. Full release is after the break.

In the year 2009....LED-backlit LCDs will probably be increasingly common, and why not? Everyone wants a flat panel with questionably-measured contrast ratios full of so many zeroes they run off the spec sheet. but in order to bring the tech to the masses, Digitimes reports manufacturers may switch from current red/green/blue LEDs to white LEDs.They claim white LEDs meet the mark in terms of power savings, but won't measure up when it comes to accurate color reproduction. Specifically mentioned? Sharp, LG, AUO and "others" (Samsung has already jumped on the bandwagon) so when you meet a guy selling cheap LED HDTVs from the of a van, add one more thing to check while making sure you aren't purchasing an oven door.

Now here's an adapter we can all love: the HDfury2. Put simply, this kit enables owners of pre-2005 displays to enjoy 1080p content via HDMI. Those "older" sets and projectors lacked the ability to comprehend HDCP, and this minuscule device packs a built-in deciphering converter that pumps out Blu-ray content at beautiful 1080p over component / VGA. There's also an audio combo jack that channels analog and digital optical formats, and yes, it plays nice with both PAL and NTSC. Check the read link for all the fine print, and get ready to hand over $249 when it (hopefully) ships next month.

[Thanks, Daniel]

What is this, the unofficial week for dishing out HDMI equipment? Shortly after seeing an HDMI repeater and distribution amplifier from two separate companies comes Extron Electronics to tempt your wallet once more. The RGB-HDMI 300 conveniently converts incoming analog component video and RGBHV signals to HDMI, and while it won't accept Discover, it will play nice with HDTV resolutions up to 1,920 x 1,200. You can also select from a number of HDMI output rates including 1080p60, and the slim profile makes it easy to hide on the backside of a flat-panel. No mention of a price, but we're guessing it'll be somewhere between "costly" and "for real?".

Sony just patched the patch for its PlayStation 3, releasing an update to fix a problem introduced in the most recent firmware update. A less-publicized feature of the 1.80 upgrade was the ability to select RGB full or limited output via HDMI, to improve picture quality when connected to certain HDTVs. However some noticed that even when set to full, it would sometimes revert to limited by itself, which is the sole issue fixed in version 1.81. Of course, whether or not this improves picture quality is still up for debate, and there are several forum threads discussing which setting will pass BTB (blacker than black) and WTW (whiter than white) information while playing DVDs and Blu-ray movies, and with which HDTVs. Of course we've been here before, with updates to the first gen Toshiba HD DVD players and Microsoft's adjustments to its Xbox 360 VGA cable settings. Got a PS3 and a 1080p set? Get the update, a test disc or two and let us know what works best.

Read - PlayStation.Blog
Read - AVS Forum

HDMI 1.3 just got approved and it sure is pretty. The system received an overall speed boost to better handle future HD content and "deep color." This will be used to support 1080 X 60 Hz with 36-bit RGB color, or 1080p with 90Hz. The big news comes with the bump up of RGB support. The current HDMI spec "only" supports up to 24-bit RGB which is truly all the eye can see. 1.3 however allows for 30, 36, and even 46-bit color. Most of the time when 36-bit color is utilized, it is for GUI overlays and things of that nature. This allows for the image underneath not to be modified when the overlay is present. Even so, this will allow for over 1 billion possible colors. The PS3 is said to take advantage of this and could have even been one of the reasons it was delayed.

HDMI 1.3 will also support the lossless formats of Dolby HD and DTS-HD along with a new type of HDMI connector for smaller HD devices. It seems that this new mini connector is what Sony has put on their newest SXRD-based XBRs but left off of the A2000 line. Lastly, 1.3 has a system built-in similar to Panasonic Viera Link. It allows for the HDMI device to configure the HDMI display - in since they will talk to each other.

[via Extreme Tech]

Then you probably don't have a television that includes a digital input like DVI or HDMI. If you own an older HDTV that is a likely scenario but not one that should prevent you from enjoying the 1080i Apple loving that our friend Ben has shared with us. robg of Mac OSX Hints.com  has created a walkthrough for connecting a Mac Mini running OS 10.4 using RGB cables and adjusting overscan.

Even if you're not a Mac-phile check out his page anyway for the DVD quality/HDTV quality comparison of the Harry Potter trailer available. Blow them up full screen and check out the additional detail noticeable even in those stills.

Update: You can also get more information on Rob's HD experience with the mini in this article.