$2K 50-Inch HDTVs Possible This Year; Microdisplays Changing Landscape of Consumer Devices.

NORWALK, Conn.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Jan. 25, 1999--For those who want a big, widescreen HDTV, expect to pay over $7,000 for a 300 pound beast. But before the year is out, new technologies could change the entire dynamics of the nascent digital television market. Several companies are now poised to offer 40- to 60-inch rear-projection HDTVs at unheard of prices - perhaps as low as $2,000.

The implications of such aggressive pricing are profound - potentially leading to a rethinking of current investments in CRT and plasma panel technology. It could also open the floodgates for consumer adoption of digital TV - a needed step in the current chicken & egg situation.

Driving this significant change is a new crop of LCD-based microdisplays all under 3 inches in diagonal. These microdisplays are the engines that create the images which are magnified by optics and projected onto a screen. Not only do they offer better performance, but they are far less bulky and less expensive than alternatives.

For example, Sharp Electronics is now ready to bring their Continuous Grain Silicon (CGS) LCD technology to market for rear-projection televisions. At the recent Consumer Electronics Show, their 60-inch demonstrator was the brightest device on the entire show floor full of dozens of HDTV products.

Likewise, Hitachi should be ready with a 56-inch LCD-based model by year's end, while Samsung is set to upgrade their 40-inch LCD based TV to allow input of HDTV component signals. Samsung also has a second LCD-based microdisplay technology close to commercialization that may be available at even lower cost.

But perhaps the most aggressive positioning is coming from a silicon valley start-up called Digital Reflection. In yet another variation on the LCD theme, their 50-inch device could be in stores by year's end for as low as $2,000. And what makes this even more impressive is that it will include a full ATSC decoder/receiver, allowing high-definition terrestrial signals to be displayed in their native resolutions at 720p or 1080i.

Microdisplay technologies could transform not only the HDTV market, but the front projection and computer monitor markets as well. They can also be used in personal display products allowing users to see large "virtual" images generated from tiny displays.

Coverage of the technology, business and applications for microdisplays is the focus of the Microdisplay Report, a newsletter published by Insight Media. Further coverage of HDTVs and much more is now available in the January issue. Visit the web site at www.mdreport.com for a summary of newsletter contents, or to download a free sample issue.