The Year In HDTVThe Year In HDTV

At time of the year, we have a tendency to reflect and look back on the events of the past year. I'm not just talking about the most popular stories that folks like you read, but the major trends and developments in the CE and semiconductor industries. In my earlier Blogs from this past year, I've talked about all of the hoopla that has surrounded HD DVD and Blu-ray. It continues to be a never-ending story. While Blu-ray is supposedly outselling HD DVD by 2-1, the current holiday season will tell the tale. That's, of course, if we can real sales figures and eliminating all gaming systems. Now that LG is in its 2nd generation dual format player, and Samsung has just introduced its 1st generation model, it will be interesting to see how they fare now and in 2008.

This past year has seen MicroDisplays retreating from the marketplace. While Sony continues with its SXRD technology, it's really only two companies " Mitsubishi and Samsung that continue to be bullish about DLP rear projection HD technology. Each company will be offering innovations including laser and LED backlighting that eliminates the color wheel and backlight, and continues to slim down the cabinetry. Of course, TI is also behind these innovations. Companies like Hitachi and Toshiba have already dropped rear projection models, and there's speculation that JVC may be considering a similar move.