Thomson Marks Color Television's 50th Anniversary With New 50-Inch Microdisplay High-Definition TV

24-Mar-04

Fifty years ago this week, RCA introduced America to the wonders of full-color home entertainment with the CT-100, a 15-inch (diagonal) direct-view color TV that cost as much as an automobile but offered unbelievably rich color images to the first generation of color TV customers. In recognition of this historic event, Thomson announced the retail availability of a new 50-inch RCA rear-projection HDTV featuring Texas Instruments' breakthrough DLP microdisplay technology, the latest in a long line of innovations under the RCA banner.Both the old and the new take the spotlight during a special QVC national telecast this Thursday night that will tell the RCA all-electronic color TV story with live images of both the CT-100 - still displaying pristine color images after all these years - and the fully integrated RCA HD50LPW42 HDTV Set. During the same era as the first color TV sale, RCA sold its first color television studio camera, an event that set the stage for Thomson's current Video Network Solutions business that now offers video and film technologies, products and services to all major Hollywood studios as well as major television, satellite, and cable broadcasters under the Technicolor and Grass Valley brand names. Today, Thomson is the high-definition television industry's leading supplier of HDTV production gear for remote broadcasts such as sporting events and awards shows. ìOver the past 50 years, the impact of color television on the global community has been immeasurable,î said Michael D. O'Hara, Executive Vice President of Thomson's Consumer Solutions Business. Back in the 1950s and early 1960s the primary source of consumer entertainment was movies in the theatre or black-and-white TV at home. ìToday, the choices are almost overwhelming, and most of them are linked to color TV development -DVD players, digital cable and digital satellite television, video games and more. The introduction of the RCA HD50LPW42 HDTV this week is a fitting tribute to the legacy of leadership and innovation established by our predecessors with the development of the CT-100.îA side-by-side comparison of the two RCA color TV models is a study in contrast and a barometer of the inroads made in television design technology since 1954. The CT100's tiny 15-inch screen -- shaped like a goldfish bowl -- is dwarfed by the large, bulky wooden cabinet that accounts for much of its 164-pound weight. By comparison, the HD50LPW42's giant 50-inch widescreen viewing area dominates the slender cabinet that measures only 16 inches deep and weighs less than 100 pounds. The Thursday night QVC broadcast will feature a historical perspective of RCA's achievements in color TV while focusing the main part of the program on electronic sales of 10 leading-edge RCA color TVs including the HD50LPW42. The range of products includes DLP, LCD and CRT display technologies along with direct-view and combination TV/DVD models from Thomson's RCA brand.Continuing the 50-year RCA tradition of excellence in color TV, the HD50LPW42 ($3,799) promises to set new standards for HDTV video performance, incorporating state-of-the-art microdisplay light engine design from InFocus Corporation, a worldwide leader in digital projection technology. The InFocus light engine is designed to Thomson specifications and incorporates Texas Instrumentsí second-generation Mustang/HD-2 DLP chip for improved brightness and contrast. The HD50LPW42 is also available nationally at Best Buy retail stores.The new RCA HDTV Set embraces widescreen display panorama and boasts the industry's most advanced performance technologies integrated in a user-friendly design. Some of these features include Thomson's exclusive Hi-Pix High-Definition Picture System for integrated HDTV Sets to provide high-definition enthusiasts with the best possible picture. Additional features are an anti-reflective protective shield, a built-in ATSC tuner/decoder, 720p high-definition display, NetConnect broadband connectivity for networking and Internet browsing, QAM modulation that enables the TV to receive local broadcasts over digital cable channels, and secure digital interfaces that assure optimum display capability of uncompressed digital video images as well as convenient recording of HDTV programming. The light weight and slender cabinet design make the HDLP50W151 the ideal model for consumers seeking giant-screen picture performance in a compact package.Thomson's entire range of RCA HDTV Sets and HDTV Monitors include industry-standard secure digital DVI-HDTV interfaces with HDCP copy protection for display of uncompressed, pristine high-definition video signals. Additionally, RCA HDTV Sets with the Hi-Pix Picture System feature dual industry-standard DTVLink (IEEE 1394) connections with DTCP copy protection for external components such as next-generation set-top HDTV receivers and high-definition playback sources. All RCA HDTV Sets and Monitors also include SYNCROSCAN HD component video inputs that allow connection of up to two component video sources (such as currently available HDTV set-top receivers and DVD players).In addition to the HD50LPW42, Thursday night's QVC broadcast will feature the following RCA home entertainment products for viewer acquisition: The D52W136D ($2,099), a 52-inch (diagonal) rear projection HDTV Monitor for capturing full HDTV broadcasts when connected to an HDTV set-top receiver (a separate, optional purchase). The LCDS2022B ($1,499), a 20-inch LCD Display for enjoyment of digital color entertainment when connected to a progressive-scan DVD player, VCR or digital tuner gaming system. The 15L500TD ($899), a 15-inch combination LCD TV/DVD player that plays DVD discs, audio CDs, CD-Rs and MP3 discs. The 12L500TD ($799), a 12-inch combination LCD TV/DVD combo compatible with DVD discs, audio CDs, CD-Rs and mp3 discs. The 24F500TD ($569), a 24-inch combination direct-view TV/DVD player. The 13R400TD ($249), a 13-inch combination direct-view TV/DVD player. The 9V400TD ($299), a 9-inch combination direct-view TV/DVD player. The final display device is the 20F670T ($299), a 20-inch direct-view color TV with Thomson's exclusive Alert Guard civil emergency early-warning system. For more information, please visit www.rca.com.

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