Toshiba has upped the ante in TV technology by unveiling its flagship model, the Cell Regza 55X1. This new 55-inch LED unit has the TV junkie in mind with many features not seen before, including the ability to record up to eight channels at once, a 3TB hard drive (record and store up to 26 hours of HD programs), a powerful processing chip identical to the one found in the PS3, a dynamic contrast ratio of 5,000,000:1, 240Hz scanning, a display divided into 512 distinct areas (each with individually-controlled lighting and luminance that deliver an industry high 1250cd/m2 – 2.5 times higher than typical TVs, and a seven-speaker sound bar. All for a lazy ¥1 million (US$11,500 approx).
And if that doesn’t whet your appetite – wait, there’s more. Toshiba says a self-congruency process improves image quality at the edge of the picture. At the heart of the Regza is the Cell platform, which achieves an arithmetic processing capability approximately 143 times that of current top shelf Regza TV.
The company says its Cell Broadband Engine is specially developed for demanding multimedia applications and, with Toshiba’s advanced image-processing algorithms, the Cell platform achieves these impressive viewing enhancements. This includes improved color and brightness balance for greater picture color and definition, LED backlight control system, luminance to 1250cd/m2, and the dynamic contrast ratio 5,000,000:1.
The Cell microprocessor was developed as a three-way venture among Sony, Toshiba and IBM for reportedly $US400 million. It first appeared in the PS3 but has since been used in IBM servers.
Never miss a moment
Of the 3TB on-board storage, 2TB are set aside for time-shifting – it’s possible to record up to 26 hours (total) of programming simultaneously across eight digital terrestrial broadcasts. A “time shift” key on the remote makes it easy to watch previously recorded programs.
Toshiba believes its improved “roaming navigation” lets viewers easily sort through all the information they may have captured. Searches can be conducted on recorded, current and future programs simply by inserting an identifier — the title, person’s name, genre or related keywords.
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