ID :
83450
Wed, 10/07/2009 - 15:35
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http://m.oananews.org//node/83450
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CEATEC electronics show opens as battle over 3-D TVs heats up
CHIBA, Japan, Oct. 6 Kyodo -
Japan's biggest information technology and electronics fair -- CEATEC -- opened
Tuesday as competition for next-generation televisions using three-dimensional
technology is heating up amid the global economic downturn.
While the annual show in recent years has focused on technological advances in
making flat-panel TVs super-thin, attention this year will be on products that
can bring the pop-up 3-D images from cinemas into homes, as promised by both
Sony Corp. and Panasonic Corp.
Organizers said 590 companies and groups, of which 263 are from overseas, have
registered to exhibit their products and technologies in 2,123 booths at the
five-day CEATEC Japan 2009 at the Makuhari Messe convention center in Chiba,
east of Tokyo.
The number of companies and groups is down nearly 27 percent as many
loss-seeing electronics makers, hit hard by the global economic recession,
canceled their participation to save costs, one organizer said.
Consumer electronics makers facing a saturated market at home hope to spur
fresh demand with the 3-D technology, which has become increasingly popular on
the back of recent 3-D blockbuster hits such as ''Bolt.'' Companies are also
pinning their hopes on the relatively cost-competitive 3-D technology amid
eroding prices for flat-panel TVs.
At the event, Sony is displaying liquid crystal display Bravia TVs capable of
showing 3-D images that it plans to launch next year and a single lens 3-D
camera, while Panasonic is showcasing a 50-inch high-definition 3-D plasma TV
to be delivered sometime in 2010.
''The completion of a high-definition 3-D TV where you can have the same vivid
experience of a movie theater is almost here,'' Panasonic President Fumio
Otsubo said in a speech at the event.
Sharp Corp. is unveiling a sample model of its 60-inch 3-D LCD TV equipped with
backlights using light-emitting diodes for brighter images and other
technologies that can better create an illusion of depth.
''This is not a dream display. It will be realized in the near future,'' Sharp
President Mikio Katayama told reporters. ''I've got the feeling that 3-D will
take off at any moment (as a new business).''
While emphasizing the technology is ready, Katayama did not clarify when Sharp
will market the product, saying the 3-D TVs will not sell unless an ample and
steady flow of content becomes available.
Instead of using shutter glasses to experience the pop-up images as in the case
of 3-D TVs being presented by most companies, Hitachi Ltd. is exhibiting an
eye-friendly display that can create 3-D images from all angles without the use
of glasses.
Meanwhile, Toshiba Corp. is showcasing its first Regza LCD television powered
by the Cell processor that will allow viewers to record up to eight channels.
The 55-inch TV will be launched in December at a market price of around 1
million yen.
The company is also unveiling a next-generation model of the Cell Regza
platform that can translate any content into a 3-D image with the use of
shutter glasses.
In addition to 3-D TVs, another key theme for CEATEC is fuel-efficient
technologies including energy-saving lighting using LEDs and solar power
systems to be showcased by companies including Panasonic and Sharp.
Visitors can also find a Hitachi TV that will switch off automatically to save
energy when the viewer is not looking at the screen.
''Both consumers and markets are shifting to eco-friendly viewpoints,'' Sharp's
Katayama said. ''Unless companies can propose new lifestyles for the 21st
century, we won't be able to survive, and this is an area where we're seeing
new opportunities.''
CEATEC, which stands for Combined Exhibition of Advanced Technologies, is
celebrating its 10th anniversary and organizers are expecting around 200,000
visitors, about the same number as last year.
The exhibition is sponsored by the Communications and Information Network
Association of Japan, the Japan Electronics and Information Technology
Industries Association, and the Computer Software Association of Japan.
==Kyodo
Japan's biggest information technology and electronics fair -- CEATEC -- opened
Tuesday as competition for next-generation televisions using three-dimensional
technology is heating up amid the global economic downturn.
While the annual show in recent years has focused on technological advances in
making flat-panel TVs super-thin, attention this year will be on products that
can bring the pop-up 3-D images from cinemas into homes, as promised by both
Sony Corp. and Panasonic Corp.
Organizers said 590 companies and groups, of which 263 are from overseas, have
registered to exhibit their products and technologies in 2,123 booths at the
five-day CEATEC Japan 2009 at the Makuhari Messe convention center in Chiba,
east of Tokyo.
The number of companies and groups is down nearly 27 percent as many
loss-seeing electronics makers, hit hard by the global economic recession,
canceled their participation to save costs, one organizer said.
Consumer electronics makers facing a saturated market at home hope to spur
fresh demand with the 3-D technology, which has become increasingly popular on
the back of recent 3-D blockbuster hits such as ''Bolt.'' Companies are also
pinning their hopes on the relatively cost-competitive 3-D technology amid
eroding prices for flat-panel TVs.
At the event, Sony is displaying liquid crystal display Bravia TVs capable of
showing 3-D images that it plans to launch next year and a single lens 3-D
camera, while Panasonic is showcasing a 50-inch high-definition 3-D plasma TV
to be delivered sometime in 2010.
''The completion of a high-definition 3-D TV where you can have the same vivid
experience of a movie theater is almost here,'' Panasonic President Fumio
Otsubo said in a speech at the event.
Sharp Corp. is unveiling a sample model of its 60-inch 3-D LCD TV equipped with
backlights using light-emitting diodes for brighter images and other
technologies that can better create an illusion of depth.
''This is not a dream display. It will be realized in the near future,'' Sharp
President Mikio Katayama told reporters. ''I've got the feeling that 3-D will
take off at any moment (as a new business).''
While emphasizing the technology is ready, Katayama did not clarify when Sharp
will market the product, saying the 3-D TVs will not sell unless an ample and
steady flow of content becomes available.
Instead of using shutter glasses to experience the pop-up images as in the case
of 3-D TVs being presented by most companies, Hitachi Ltd. is exhibiting an
eye-friendly display that can create 3-D images from all angles without the use
of glasses.
Meanwhile, Toshiba Corp. is showcasing its first Regza LCD television powered
by the Cell processor that will allow viewers to record up to eight channels.
The 55-inch TV will be launched in December at a market price of around 1
million yen.
The company is also unveiling a next-generation model of the Cell Regza
platform that can translate any content into a 3-D image with the use of
shutter glasses.
In addition to 3-D TVs, another key theme for CEATEC is fuel-efficient
technologies including energy-saving lighting using LEDs and solar power
systems to be showcased by companies including Panasonic and Sharp.
Visitors can also find a Hitachi TV that will switch off automatically to save
energy when the viewer is not looking at the screen.
''Both consumers and markets are shifting to eco-friendly viewpoints,'' Sharp's
Katayama said. ''Unless companies can propose new lifestyles for the 21st
century, we won't be able to survive, and this is an area where we're seeing
new opportunities.''
CEATEC, which stands for Combined Exhibition of Advanced Technologies, is
celebrating its 10th anniversary and organizers are expecting around 200,000
visitors, about the same number as last year.
The exhibition is sponsored by the Communications and Information Network
Association of Japan, the Japan Electronics and Information Technology
Industries Association, and the Computer Software Association of Japan.
==Kyodo
