Sony switches on eight flat-screen HDTVs

Sony is to introduce eight high-definition (HD) flat-screen televisions in Japan by the end of the year, claiming that the latest models "drastically elevate" picture clarity, audio fidelity and ease of use.

The HDTVs are the first production models to feature the electronics giant's TRILUMINOS technology, which it boasts is the world's first 1" LED back-light system to boost colour reproduction.

In addition, the devices integrate Sony's WEGA Engine HD digital high-definition system for Hi-Vision, which includes the DRC-MFv2 Digital Reality Creation video processing controller chip to display digital Hi-Vision signals and create a sharper video signal with less 'noise'.

According to Sony, this integrated digital high-definition system makes it possible to accurately display a full HD signal (1,920 x 1,080 pixels), and to render Hi-Vision signals.

Improved sound for some of the models comes courtesy of the S-Master sound engine, with its floor-trembling 100W output full digital amplifier.

The newly unveiled TVs also incorporate the xross media bar (XMB) user interface system, designed to allow viewers to access content from various devices, switch channels via easy-to-recognise icons and to select their favourite programmes and inputs from DVD or digital video camera quickly.

First introduced in the PSX computer entertainment systems, XMB operates via the high-speed processing of CPU EmotionEngine and a drawing processor Graphics Synthesizer.