News

HP Delivers Brilliant Image Quality with New Line of TVs and Digital Entertainment Centers (3/5/2005)

HP (NYSE:HPQ) (Nasdaq:HPQ) today unveiled a line of 10 newly branded HP Pavilion TVs, including four high-definition microdisplay rear-projection televisions, three high-definition plasmas and three high-definition LCDs.

Introduced at the Home Entertainment Expo, all of the TVs include new HP Visual Fidelity technologies, which provide enhanced image quality and brilliant color by, depending on the model, gauging a room's ambient lighting and doubling pixel resolution among other innovations.

HP's microdisplay TVs also feature a lighted front-connection panel designed with a special slot under the TV so audio/visual cables can easily be connected from the front and then hidden from view. The microdisplay TVs additionally enable viewers to quickly and easily select an input source, such as a DVD player, by touching a button on the remote control to view on screen how all input sources are being used.

The company also announced the availability of three new models of standard and high-definition HP Digital Entertainment Centers - devices that allow consumers to personalize and manage their TV viewing, movies, music, photos and videos, all from one remote control. New functionality on certain models includes the ability to record over-the-air high-definition programming and store up to 55 hours of HD content.

"HP's logo says 'Invent' and that's exactly what we've done with our new line of televisions, all designed with ease of use in mind," said Stephen J. Nigro, senior vice president, Imaging and Printing Technology Platforms, HP. "We've been able to leverage our expertise in imaging and data processing to figure out innovative ways to enhance color, reduce video noise and double the resolution, setting our TVs apart from the competition."

Innovation at work

HP Visual Fidelity technologies: In HP's LCD and plasma TVs, Visual Fidelity technologies provide an advanced video pipeline that combines information about a room's ambient lighting with photorealistic sharpness enhancement and a 3D color enrichment system to deliver stunning detail and color. In the microdisplay televisions, HP Visual Fidelity technologies double the pixel resolution to provide brilliant, crisp, true-to-life images.

Design: HP's new microdisplay TVs feature a first-of-its-kind design that makes connecting the TV to other components a snap. Rather than having to struggle with connections at the back of the TV, a lighted, front audio/visual connection panel enables consumers to plug in all of their audio and video components into the front of the TV. Once these connections are made, the cables easily slide under the TV in a slot in the panel. A door closes over the front panel to remove the unsightly cords from view.

In addition, HP's LCDs and plasmas feature a polished piano-black finish and curved-edge design to make them fit naturally into a stylish, modern living room.

Thumbnail innovation: HP's microdisplay TVs are equipped with a thumbnail source selection feature. With the push of a button on the remote control, a single screen appears that shows how all of the input sources, such as DVDs and VCRs, are being used. Using this thumbnail guide, viewers can quickly and easily select a source, rather than scrolling through several inputs to find the right one.

Consumers have more choice across the breadth of HP's TV product line

-- HP Pavilion microdisplay televisions, the company's first line of microdisplay rear-projection TVs, are designed for consumers who want to enjoy HDTV programs in full HD-resolution and DVD movies on a large screen. These televisions are equipped with HP Visual Fidelity technologies that help ensure top picture performance from virtually any video source. All models - including the 65- and 58-inch 1080P and 58- and 50-inch 720P - are expected to be available for purchase in North America in late summer.

-- HP Pavilion plasma TVs feature 50- and 42-inch models with ultra-long life panels built on next-generation phosphors that create an image 10 percent brighter than conventional panels. Created with the latest video processing technology that delivers up to 3.62 billion colors and 2,048 levels of gradation, these TVs ensure that even the subtlest details are rendered with uncompromising clarity. The plasma TV line also includes a 42-inch enhanced definition TV. All models are expected to be available for purchase in North America in late summer.

-- HP Pavilion LCD TVs are available in 37-, 32- or 26-inch models and deliver exceptional image accuracy due to a sophisticated video engine that combines scene-by-scene contrast adaptation with information about the room's ambient lighting. All models are expected to be available for purchase in North America in late summer.

All of HP's new digital TVs are CableCARD(TM) ready(1) and, with HP's additional features and accessories, consumers can easily integrate any HP TV into their existing home theater system. HP also offers consumers a variety of TV stands to showcase their home theater centerpiece for an outstanding high-definition viewing experience.

HD Digital Entertainment Center z550 series

The new HP z555 and z557 High-definition Digital Entertainment Center series include three tuners: One ATSC OTA high-definition TV tuner for the ability to pause, play and record HD over-the-air programming and two NTSC tuners for recording two standard definition shows simultaneously. The z555 model comes with a 250 GB 7,200 rpm Serial ATA hard drive,(2) and the z557 model comes with two 300 GB hard drives, one being a personal media drive to deliver over half a terabyte of combined storage.

Both units offer high-performance TV quality with the Nvidia GeForce 6600 PCI-Express graphics card. This product enables digital entertainment enthusiasts to combine entertainment features with the ability to surf the web or instant message friends, all in the convenience of their living rooms by fusing the best of PC and audio-video elements. All HP Digital Entertainment Center models are available for purchase now in North America, Sweden and France.

(1) On some models, the CableCARD accessory module is required. (2) 1 GB = 1 billion bytes when referring to hard drive capacity. Actual formatted capacity is less.

www.hp.com