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cinemateq Picture Optimizers For HDTV Compatible Plasmas And Projectors (28/10/2004)

It's hardly deniable: The HDTV age also took off in Europe. The announcement of ASTRA and some cable providers to start broadcasting high resolution HDTV content at the latest from January 2005 onwards triggers a "chain reaction", both broadcasters and manufacturers are in a tight spot to bring to market HDTV content and/or HDTV enabled devices. Up to the World Soccer Championship in 2006 there will be a true HDTV boom coming over Europe.

High resolution television delivers a picture experience difficult to imagine as of today to the residential living room - assuming the "hardware" can cope with it. As a matter of fact HDTV can not be displayed with conventional television devices, only flat screens or projectors are enabled to replay this sophisticated signal.

However that's exactly where the problems start: Many of the currently available flat screens or projectors can display the American HDTV standard, however fail with the European HDTV signal (which differs with its 50 Hz frame rate from the US version with 60 Hz). So the screen either stays "black", picture content is rendered in parts only or distorted or movements are shown with so called "motion judder". This is where the manufacturers are challenged to make their devices compliant also for European HDTV. ASTRA meanwhile has introduced a "HDTV seal " marking out all manufacturers with compatible devices.

What will the owner of an expensive plasma screen or projector think, if in future the newscasts appear in better quality than his beloved DVD collection? For the difference is so clearly visible, that hardly anybody will accept the "old" signal once having "experienced" HDTV.

cinemateq as a specialist in optimizing video signals offers a solution with its "picture optimizer" products, which are generating a high resolution HDTV signal out of the common "old" video signal (PAL). This enables anybody to enjoy DVDs, videos, video games and TV broadcasts in HDTV quality already today. The devices available in three versions therefore not only recalculate the resolution, but also eliminate picture errors and optimize picture sharpness and color rendition. These "HDTV makers" bring HDTV quality to the home display already now, provided that the device understands European HDTV.

But even if not, the "picture optimizer" models may help: They are enabled to generate each and every video resolution and can therefore provide "HDTV compatible" plasmas and projectors with high resolution pictures, in case they allow other resolutions (e.g. PC variants such as XGA). So these displaying devices can be harnessed for high resolution pictures by only a minor circuit.

Besides that the "picture optimizers" can function as a video "switch board", while you can connect up to eight different sources via all common interfaces and address the plasma or projector with only one cable.

www.cinemateq.com