Archived from groups: alt.tv.tech.hdtv (More info?)
This looks interesting.
Of course if you do the math, 6m/8k = 750 units. But I'd love to see
what a 3-chip imager @ 1080 lines would look like, even just for
curiosity.
I'd also like to know *WHO* the 4 companies Intel will be looking to
work with are (near the end of thye article).
====================================================================
Brillian Corp. unveils high-definition television
By Ed Taylor, Tribune
Brillian Corp., a Tempe-based start-up company spun off from
Three-Five Systems, unveiled its new high-definition television
Thursday at a stockholders meeting, drawing gasps from attendees who
viewed the ultra-sharp pictures for the first time.
"That screen is awesome," said Len Copple, a Tempe city councilman and
an investor in Brillian, as he watched video of a space shuttle
launch. "That is so real, it's like you're actually standing there."
Another shareholder, Walter Schuch, believes the 65-inch diagonal
television will find buyers even though the retail price could be
$7,000 to $9,000.
"I think it's a narrow market, but I think it is good enough that
there are people who will pay that kind of money," he said.
The television uses technology called liquid crystal on silicon, or
LCOS, to display the images, which are so bright and have such a high
contrast that the moving pictures appear to be three dimensional. The
second-generation imager inside the television contains three
fingernail-sized semiconductor chips, each covered by a piece of glass
with a liquid crystal layer in between. The image is displayed on the
chip and optically magnified many times as it is projected onto the
screen.
The company has shown prototypes privately to industry analysts and a
few investors, but Thursday's demonstration was the first public
display, said marketing director Hope Frank.
Last month Brillian announced that it had received its first order,
valued at $6 million, for the new rear-projection HDTV from an
unidentified retailer that plans to put its own brand name on the
product. Brillian will make the imager in Tempe, and Suntron, a
Phoenix-based partner, will assemble the televisions in Tijuana,
Mexico. A 720-line version is expected to be available to consumers in
August, and a 1080-line version will be available early next year,
said Brillian CEO Vincent Sollitto.
In addition to making televisions that others can rebrand, Brillian
hopes to sell its LCOS imagers directly to television makers that can
design their own HDTVs around the component, Sollitto said. One of the
main problems with HDTV has been a shortage of programming, but
Brillian chairman Jack Saltich said more HDTV-formatted shows are on
the way. He cited the example of Mark Cuban, owner of the Dallas
Mavericks NBA basketball team, who has started a network that
broadcast sports events in high definition.
Sollitto believes HDTV sales will explode as federal regulations move
the nation toward digital broadcasting. Eight million digital
televisions are expected to be sold in North America this year, and of
that total, 2.7 million will be larger than 50 inches, he said. If
Brillian can capture 10 percent of that market, it will be able to
report a 13 percent operating profit, he said. Under that scenario,
Brillian should be profitable next year, he said. But Brillian faces
competition.
Intel Corp. has announced that it is developing LCOS chip technology
that will be delivered to HDTV producers by the end of this year.
Intel has said four companies will use its chips — one based in the
United States, two on mainland China and one in Taiwan.
Will Strauss, a Tempe-based semiconductor industry analyst, said the
technology has good possibilities, but the retail price may have to
drop before can be called successful.
"I think there's an expectation the price will come down," he said.
"Everything I have ever seen coming out of the semiconductor industry
has continually decreased in price as they have gone through the
learning curve."
This looks interesting.
Of course if you do the math, 6m/8k = 750 units. But I'd love to see
what a 3-chip imager @ 1080 lines would look like, even just for
curiosity.
I'd also like to know *WHO* the 4 companies Intel will be looking to
work with are (near the end of thye article).
====================================================================
Brillian Corp. unveils high-definition television
By Ed Taylor, Tribune
Brillian Corp., a Tempe-based start-up company spun off from
Three-Five Systems, unveiled its new high-definition television
Thursday at a stockholders meeting, drawing gasps from attendees who
viewed the ultra-sharp pictures for the first time.
"That screen is awesome," said Len Copple, a Tempe city councilman and
an investor in Brillian, as he watched video of a space shuttle
launch. "That is so real, it's like you're actually standing there."
Another shareholder, Walter Schuch, believes the 65-inch diagonal
television will find buyers even though the retail price could be
$7,000 to $9,000.
"I think it's a narrow market, but I think it is good enough that
there are people who will pay that kind of money," he said.
The television uses technology called liquid crystal on silicon, or
LCOS, to display the images, which are so bright and have such a high
contrast that the moving pictures appear to be three dimensional. The
second-generation imager inside the television contains three
fingernail-sized semiconductor chips, each covered by a piece of glass
with a liquid crystal layer in between. The image is displayed on the
chip and optically magnified many times as it is projected onto the
screen.
The company has shown prototypes privately to industry analysts and a
few investors, but Thursday's demonstration was the first public
display, said marketing director Hope Frank.
Last month Brillian announced that it had received its first order,
valued at $6 million, for the new rear-projection HDTV from an
unidentified retailer that plans to put its own brand name on the
product. Brillian will make the imager in Tempe, and Suntron, a
Phoenix-based partner, will assemble the televisions in Tijuana,
Mexico. A 720-line version is expected to be available to consumers in
August, and a 1080-line version will be available early next year,
said Brillian CEO Vincent Sollitto.
In addition to making televisions that others can rebrand, Brillian
hopes to sell its LCOS imagers directly to television makers that can
design their own HDTVs around the component, Sollitto said. One of the
main problems with HDTV has been a shortage of programming, but
Brillian chairman Jack Saltich said more HDTV-formatted shows are on
the way. He cited the example of Mark Cuban, owner of the Dallas
Mavericks NBA basketball team, who has started a network that
broadcast sports events in high definition.
Sollitto believes HDTV sales will explode as federal regulations move
the nation toward digital broadcasting. Eight million digital
televisions are expected to be sold in North America this year, and of
that total, 2.7 million will be larger than 50 inches, he said. If
Brillian can capture 10 percent of that market, it will be able to
report a 13 percent operating profit, he said. Under that scenario,
Brillian should be profitable next year, he said. But Brillian faces
competition.
Intel Corp. has announced that it is developing LCOS chip technology
that will be delivered to HDTV producers by the end of this year.
Intel has said four companies will use its chips — one based in the
United States, two on mainland China and one in Taiwan.
Will Strauss, a Tempe-based semiconductor industry analyst, said the
technology has good possibilities, but the retail price may have to
drop before can be called successful.
"I think there's an expectation the price will come down," he said.
"Everything I have ever seen coming out of the semiconductor industry
has continually decreased in price as they have gone through the
learning curve."