RCA Scenium Goes Widescreen with New HDTV

September 27, 2002 - Nearly ten years after introducing the industry's first widescreen television set to U.S. consumers, Thomson is launching its new, all-widescreen 2002 line of RCA Scenium high-definition television products at the annual Custom Electronics Design and Installation Association conference this week. The CEDIA conference brings together the entertainment industry's most important manufacturers, designers, and installers to preview the latest high-definition display technologies.

"The new line of RCA Scenium home entertainment products offers the custom installer world-class innovation in an expressive design package, making an ideal centerpiece for an advanced home entertainment system," said Rodger Keeney, General Manager of Strategic Business Operations. "Our RCA Scenium integrated HDTV Sets and HDTV Monitors are all equipped with secure digital interfaces for premium high-definition entertainment, and we're introducing several industry firsts with RCA Scenium - including DVD integrated in projection TV. With RCA Scenium, discerning viewers will see high-definition TV like never before with amazingly sharp pictures, powerful audio, and our exclusive widescreen 'floating picture' cabinet design," said Keeney.

The widescreen television format is rapidly gaining consumer acceptance, according to several studies. A consumer attitude study conducted by Thomson showed that nearly 90% of consumers prefer a widescreen picture to the traditional square screen, when shown both in side-by-side comparisons.

Independent studies of consumer behavior also confirm this trend. Scott Tallal, President of Malibu, California-based Insite Research, says that "in side-by-side testing of widescreen material on identical traditional displays, consumers clearly prefer 'letterboxed' content to the 'pan and scan' approach. The larger the screen size, the more consumers want a widescreen presentation. Now that they know their favorite movies and scripted TV series are all coming out in widescreen, they increasingly see the traditional 4:3 displays as a dead-end technology."

Consumers are also buying widescreen displays when shopping for high-definition TV products. According to data from the Consumer Electronics Association, nearly three out of five buyers of HDTV displays are taking home widescreen HDTV Monitors and widescreen HDTV Sets.

Widescreen HDTV With Integrated ATSC Reception
The new RCA Scenium HDTV lineup includes three new rear projection widescreen RCA Scenium HDTV sets (65-inch, 61-inch and 52-inch diagonal screen sizes) that feature built-in ATSC tuning and decoding capability, a second window to the Internet with high-speed broadband connectivity for browsing, and secure digital interfaces for use with HDTV set-top receivers. Thomson has developed the exclusive SceniVisionT HD Picture System that includes next-generation ATSC receiver/decoder circuitry, InfiniFocusT high-definition CRTs, Linear Motion Upconverter progressive scan technology, and Adaptive Reverse 3:2 Pulldown for the sharpest HDTV images.

The three new RCA Scenium models are the 65-inch HD65W140 (suggested retail price $4,299), the 61-inch HD61W140 (suggested retail price $3,799) and the HD52W140 (suggested retail price $3,199).

Industry First: Built-in DVD with Projection HDTV Monitors
Three RCA Scenium rear projection HDTV Monitor models (in 61-inch, 52-inch and 40-inch diagonal screen sizes) and one direct-view 34-inch model feature integrated DVD players to deliver a full package of entertainment for consumers. In addition to playing video DVDs, each of the integrated DVD monitors is also compatible with audio CDs, CD-R and mp3 encoded CDs.

The three HDTV rear projection monitors are the 61-inch D61W135D (suggested retail price $2,999), the 52-inch D52W135D (suggested retail price $2,399) and the 40-inch D40W135D (suggested retail price $2,199). The direct-view monitor is the 34-inch D34W135D (suggested retail price $2,599). To further personalize the flat-screen, direct-view 34-inch model, Thomson product designers created the exclusive Clip'On frame system that allows consumers to choose form multiple colors of decorative frames. The frames easily snap onto the face of the TV, enabling viewers to adapt the cabinet design for various types of room décor.

The 2002 RCA Scenium line also includes a 61-inch projection HDTV Monitor and the slim 50-inch RCA Scenium plasma HDTV Monitor with optional base and speakers. The new RCA Scenium HDTV products join the innovative RCA Scenium L50000 Liquid Crystal On Silicon HDTV, which is now available to ship to custom installer dealers.

The 50-inch (diagonal) 16x9 widescreen L50000 (suggested retail price $7,999) combines new display technology and lightweight design in a dramatic contemporary slim-line cabinet to produce an outstanding entertainment experience. At a weight of approximately 100 pounds, the L50000 is 60 percent lighter than a comparable rear projection TV, and it can be placed in a variety of room settings since the front-to-back cabinet depth is only 18 inches. The secret behind the outstanding picture of the widescreen RCA Scenium L50000 is Liquid Crystal on Silicon technology that manages ultra-bright light to deliver high-contrast, sharply focused color images. Utilizing three reflective light imagers and a sophisticated prism and lensing system, light is transformed into a laser-like beam and imprinted with a high-definition image that is then magnified and displayed in a perfectly aligned widescreen format.

New ATSC HDTV Set-Top Receiver
At CEDIA, Thomson is also providing an early glimpse of a new set-top HDTV receiver designed to assure optimum reception from terrestrially broadcast digital TV signals. The RCA ATSC10 over-the-air (ATSC) receiver (suggested retail price $549) features a secure digital DVI-HDTV interface and is scheduled for retail introduction in the first quarter of 2003.

Hard-Disc Recorder Combines DVD With No Monthly Fee
With industry sales of DVD players expected to exceed the 16 million mark this year, Thomson is introducing two new RCA Scenium DVD players that are easily integrated into professional or custom home theatre systems. The RCA Scenium Digital Media Recorder DRS7000N (suggested retail price $599), is the industry's first combination DVD player and personal video recorder, offering more than 30 hours of recording time and a convenient, no-fee GUIDE Plus+ interactive TV Guide. Another new RCA Scenium DVD product is the progressive scan DRS700N DVD player (suggested retail price $249) that can decode DVD-Audio discs.

RCA Scenium Audio Completes The Home Theatre
A powerful audio system completes the Home Theatre, and with 550 watts of full bandwidth, low distortion[1] power, the RCA Scenium Dolby Digital Receiver provides a powerful centerpiece for the home theatre enthusiast. The RT2660R (suggested retail price $299) is fully compatible with both DVD-Audio and SACD formats; supports Dolby Digital surround sound, DTS surround, and Dolby ProLogic II decoding; and includes an AM/FM digital tuner with 40 station presets.

Delivering exceptional sound in a chic, sophisticated package, the RCA Scenium Five-Satellite Speaker Package with Powered Subwoofer (model SP2660) unites the latest audio enhancements with expressive designs. The versatile speakers can be placed in home entertainment centers, mounted on the wall, or displayed using speaker table stands that are included. The subwoofer is powered by a built in 100-watt amplifier, and uses an eight-inch, non-pressed paper cone. Available this fall, the suggested retail price of the SP2660 speaker package is $699. Optional matching speaker stands are also available at a suggested retail price of $299.

[1] 110 watts per channel, two channels driven into eight ohms, at any frequency from 20Hz - 20kHz, with no more than 0.09% Total Harmonic Distortion. 110 Watts Front Left, Center, Front Right, Surround Left, and Surround Right.

For more information: www.thomson-multimedia.com