That’s not to say the company was making false claims in order to boost their ASX listing… Laser TV did become a reality in early 2008, when Mitsubishi showed off their Laservue TVs at CES.

Laser TVs are essentially just rear projection TVs that use lasers to provide the backlight. Using the Arasor chip, the laser-powered TVs are able to reproduce twice the colour range that LCD and plasma can, while using less power and being thinner than traditional rear projection screens.To date, only the Mitsubishi Laservue TVs have launched with the technology, and sadly they’re not available in many global markets, including Australia.

It seems unlikely that we’ll ever see laser TVs in Australia. But we can always hope that the technology might be enhanced in future TV sets so that one day, all TVs have freakin’ lasers in them.

History of TV is Giz AU’s month-long look back at the development of the world-changing medium and its influence on our daily lives.

Rear projection TV were increasingly popular back in the 90s and early this decade thanks to their large screen sizes and relatively affordable price tags – especially when compared to the early asking price of LCD and plasma displays. They use three main technologies to project the image from inside the body to the screen: CRT, LCD and DLP.

But unfortunately, the technology was held back by its shortcomings and the dropping price of LCDs and plasmas. Because they projected an image, they were deep, needing the space inside the body to be able to throw the image from the projector to the screen. That meant they couldn’t be wall mounted, and tended to take up a lot of space.

Nowadays, there’s nary a rear projection TV to be found in the shops. Most of the major TV players have stuck their flags in the plasma or LCD camps (or both) and left rear projection behind. The noted exception is Mitsubishi, who have further developed the technology with the introduction of lasers, which both improves picture quality and lessens the necessary depth of the TV – their LaserVue sets are actually wall mountable. Still, that doesn’t mean that the technology hasn’t been superceded – despite having a great few years when most big TVs sold were big and bulky, these days you’re safer to go a flat panel TV.

History of TV is Giz AU’s month-long look back at the development of the world-changing medium and its influence on our daily lives.

Unsurprisingly, the global financial crises played its part. Forget about seeing every manufacturer and its cheap spin off company releasing a hybrid or commuter 600cc car – they didn’t. In fact, they didn’t do too much all up. We’re not saying nothing happened, plenty did, but by comparison to past Tokyo Motor Shows, there was a lot of empty floor space. It even led one hack to tell us that he had never seen so many “invisible cars”. For bad joke reasons that hack will remain unnamed.

It couldn’t be helped though, and by comparison to the Sydney or Melbourne Motor Show, the Tokyo version was gigantic. Indeed some may say it’s a bit silly to have a Sydney AND Melbourne Motor Show annually when we are such a small country and big car markets, such as Germany, alternate their motor shows between cities. But anyway, it was about the cars, not the politics.

Being that Japan is the centre of the technological universe (kind of), it wasn’t surprising to see a tonne of kooky designs and concept vehicles. But lets play it straight and mention only what is interesting to Australia and what we may possibly see on our shores some time in the future.

Toyota
As some of you may have read, we were in Japan courtesy of Toyota Australia, but it’s not because of this that makes us mention them first. They truly did have the most significant launches during the Show. Three that made us prick our ears up and give them our attention. Firstly the FT-86 sports car. It’s the first sports car that Toyota has developed in hell knows how long. The last one we saw was probably the MR2 and a lot of people have been waiting for the next time Toyota threw its hat into the sports car ring. The FT-86 was developed with the help of Subaru, which Toyota owns a small stake in. It will be powered by a 2.0 litre Boxer engine but other details are still sketchy at this stage. It’s still a concept car but we hear it will be released within three years at a cost of between $50,000 to $80,000 Aussie big ones.

Toyota also showed off its Prius Plug-in Hybrid as well as the FT-EV II. With the Prius Plug-In think Prius, add a plug to the front. You can charge it fully in around 3 hours. Hit the links for more info on each.

Mazda

Surprisingly Mazda didn’t make such a big splash this time at the Tokyo Motor Show. Being that Mazda has already recently refreshed the 2, 3 and 6 line-up down under, there was never going to be a huge amount that would catch the eyes of Aussie journalists. In terms of concept vehicles, the SMH went as far as to say, “On the surface it appeared as if Mazda was doing its bit for the environment by recycling concept vehicles.” They were referring specifically to Kiyora concept vehicle, which made its debut at the Paris Motor Show in ’08. You may have seen it on the cover of Popular Science magazine some months back. The one on display in Tokyo had a new motor in it though which some believe will be the new puller in the next Mazda 2. It’s said this new engine can out do the Prius in terms of fuel efficiency despite being petrol based rather than a hybrid. Sounds good if Mazda can pull it off. 2011 is the scheduled date of release.

Honda

Honda has already spent a lot of money on fuel-efficient technology. The tangible result is the FCX Clarity, a hydrogen based car, which is already on test in California via lease plans at US$600 per month. Unsurprisingly Honda was showing off the car at the Tokyo Motor Show. The hydrogen powered fuel cell electric vehicle gives off absolutely no emissions, just water vapour. It also has so much safety technology that it makes Volvo look stupid. Honda also showed off the CR-Z, a new version of the iconic CR-X but a little less Lakemba and a little more Woollahra. For non-Sydney residents that would be a little less speed and noise and a little more environmentally friendly (electric based). It’s the world’s first petrol-electric sports car. If you just can’t wait for it hop into a Civic Hybrid, that will have to do for now.

Mitsubishi

It was all about the i MiEV at Mitsubishi land. And it’s good to see them come up with something that could possibly be a winner if it is ever released in the Australian market. The 380 sold like poisoned hotcakes and the end of the Lancer Coupe in the early Naughties spelt the end of the Lancer as every third car you saw in traffic. Since then it has pretty much been average if not bad news for Mitsubishi. Oh yeah, I didn’t mention Colt sales… probably a good thing. The i MiEV, which can already be seen around the streets of Japan is Mitsubishi’s saviour, it hopes. It’s a small car, like the Colt, that has zero emissions, runs quiet (not silent though) and costs about a third of the price for operation by comparison to a similar sized petrol powered car. Being completely electric you can charge it with a power point at home. A complete charge takes seven hours while a quick charge to 80 per cent ca take as little as 30 minutes. Of course, these times depend on whether you are using 100 or 200-volt power supply. Any guesses as to which one takes longer to charge your i MiEV? It really is a great little car. And if you were wondering: Mitsubishi Innovative Electric Vehicle. Don’t ask us about the ‘i’ in front of that though. We don’t know.

And the rest? Well, those that are relevant to Australians, Nissan, Suzuki, and Subaru also came up with a few offerings but nothing that would shatter the earth. Nissan showed off the Leaf zero emissions car. Can you see a trend here? That’s right, everyone that was doing something was doing zero emissions cars… not that there is anything wrong with that. It just gets a tad boring to report on over and over again. Thankfully though the Leaf looks a lot better than the Tiida, despite its name. Carlos Ghosn, the boss of Nissan, went all out to push the Leaf. Without wanting to be mean it must have been nice for him to speak positively about something after the Renault F1 scandal with Flavio Briatore and Nelson Piquet Jr. FIY: Nissan and Renault are in bed, hence Renault being Ghosn’s problem too. Poor guy. But perk up, you just signed Robert Kubica for the 2009 season, that’s bound to bring a smile to your face. Oh yeah, it’s only a one year deal and you just lost double World Champion Fernando Alonso… we’re going to go now.

In terms of Subaru, nothing new really. It was all set to show off its version of the swap talent with Toyota that resulted in the FT-86 for Toyota. But nothing. Not yet anyway, and don’t expect it for a while either. They did show off the concept Hybrid Tourer though which was quite cool thanks to its gull wing design that used two doors for a car easily capable of carrying four. In other words, no rear doors, just one gigantic door on each side. It will use a 2.0 Boxer engine as well as an electric motor that seems like two completely opposite worlds, but if anyone can pull it off Subaru can.

Suzuki had something a bit more interesting than nothing. The Swift hybrid; a plug-in that can go a good 20km on its lithium-ion batteries without needing a charge. The Swift is a nimble little car so should do quite well with Hybrid technology in it.

There was plenty more from peeps that you have never heard of and are only relevant to the Japanese market, and a lot of racing cars and bikes on display too. But in terms of what you may see come 2012 on the great roads of Australia, this would be it.

Damian Francis is the editor-at-large for Australian T3 and contributing technology editor for GQ Australia. He was in Japan as a guest of Toyota Australia and wishes he was in Abu Dhabi last weekend for the final round of the F1. Twilight racing – unbelievable!

That’s definitely the biggest OLED screen I’ve heard of. Of course, the individual panels are a bit of a cheat—and mean you only see a red, green and blue matrix until you’re at least two feet away—but Mitsubishi imagines the tech being curved around buildings, trains and buses in Japan.

OLED screens are capable of much higher resolutions than regular stadium-style LED displays, but have two fatal flaws. They’re super expensive, and OLED degrades. The expected life of an OLED panel is only about 20,000 hours (roughly 2.5 years). Gorgeous as they are, that’s why you’re not reading this on an OLED screen right now. [OLED-Display.Net and Network World]

Both 1080p HDTVs include wired and wireless internet connections and a crazy-sounding 16-speaker “sound projector” to really blast those rented flicks. Plus, the Vudu support includes support for YouTube, Flickr, Picasa and Pandora. Like Mitsubishi’s previous deal, the purchase of one of these sets comes with a $US50 Vudu credit for the first two months. Full press release below. [Mitsubishi]

Mitsubishi Digital Electronics America Ships VUDU-Enabled 1080p Flat Panel LCD Televisions

Unisen™ Diamond Line of Immersive Sound TVs With Integrated VUDU Service, Delivers Extensive HD Library In Full 1080p and Dolby Digital Plus Surround Sound

IRVINE and Santa Clara, CA – September 3, 2009 —- Mitsubishi Digital Electronics America, Inc. (MDEA) today announced it has begun shipping two new models of the Unisen Diamond 249 series that are VUDU-enabled out of the box. The Unisen Diamond models, LT-46249 and LT-52249, both 1080p flat panel HDTVs with integrated 16-speaker integrated sound projector and Dolby Digital Plus 5.1 Surround Sound, combine the incredible sensory experience of the Unisen Diamond series with the excitement of VUDU’s industry leading user experience and extensive on-demand HD movie library delivered instantly over the Internet.

Both models come equipped with an Ethernet port, which allows for wired or wireless connection to the Internet. Once the TV is connected to the Internet, the VUDU service is immediately available to consumers without the need for an additional device.

For a limited time, owners of Mitsubishi’s VUDU-enabled TVs will receive two months worth of free movies*, including SD, HD, and HDX movies, allowing them to experience the extraordinary 1080p image quality and immersive Dolby™ Digital Plus 5.1 Surround Sound of the VUDU Service running on Mitsubishi HDTVs.

“We are always looking to elevate the large screen experience for consumers, and the Mitsubishi VUDU-enabled TVs will combine unprecedented HD program choice with unparalleled picture performance,” said Frank DeMartin, vice president of marketing, Mitsubishi Digital Electronics America. “Owners of Unisen Diamond Immersive Sound TV’s will now have convenient access to high quality entertainment content.”

With over 2,200 HD titles and 16,000 titles overall, VUDU offers the most extensive HD movie library available today. In addition, starting later this month, the VUDU service on Unisen Diamond 249 LCD TVs will offer popular Internet services such as YouTube, Flickr, Picasa and Pandora®, as well over 80 channels of on-demand TV to choose from.

“VUDU’s extensive HD library of newly released Hollywood titles provides the perfect entertainment solution for the Unisen Diamond LCD TVs,” said Alain Rossmann, CEO of VUDU. “Through this collaboration with Mitsubishi, we are expanding the reach of the VUDU Service to a broad new segment of consumers, providing an outstanding movie watching experience with true 1080p and Dolby Digital Plus 5.1 surround sound.”

Unisen Diamond 249 Features

In addition to the VUDU streaming capabilities, the Unisen 249 line of premium flat panel TVs combine ultra compact design, immersive sound technology and advanced video performance to deliver a complete sensory experience without the hassle of complex setup. Each model features an UltraThin Frame™ design delivering a frame measuring less than one inch, fully integrated 16-speaker Dolby Digital 5.1 channel surround sound system, Variable Smooth 240 Film Motion for viewing of fast and slow moving programs, and Enhanced colour. Unisen LCD TVs feature wide colour gamut backlight technology to reproduce approximately 25 percent more colour than most LCD-TVs and both models are EnergyStar™ 3.0 qualified.

Availability and Pricing

MDEA plans to ship Unisen Diamond 249 models to authorised retailers in the United States by September 2009. Estimated retail pricing for the Unisen Diamond products will be $US2,799 for the 46″ model, LT-46249 and $US3,299 for the 52″ model, LT-52249.

About Mitsubishi Digital Electronics America, Inc.

Mitsubishi Digital Electronics America, Inc., the Official HDTV Sponsor of The PGA TOUR, manufactures and markets a comprehensive line of premium quality 1080p Home theatre TVs and Unisen™ Flat Panel TVs along with the world’s first laser TV: LaserVue™. recognised as a world leader and innovator of large display high-definition televisions, Mitsubishi Digital Electronics America builds products that lead the industry in quality, performance and ease-of-use. For additional information about MDEA, visit www.mitsubishi-tv.com.

About VUDU

VUDU is a leading provider of digital technologies and services that deliver Internet entertainment to consumers’ HDTVs. The VUDU entertainment service supports native instant start HD and, for the first time, instant-start HDX, which, with 1080p resolution at 24 frames per second, the cinematic gold standard, is the highest quality on demand format available anywhere. Through relationships with every major U.S. movie studio and more than 40 independent studios and distributors, VUDU offers a vast array of on-demand choices at the highest quality. The VUDU collection is constantly updated, and newly released movies from major studios are available on the same day as the DVD is released. Consumers can finally watch great movies without the hassles associated with traditional services: no driving, no mailing, and no monthly fee. For more information, visit http://www.vudu.com/.

(Sadly, Mitsubishi’s 3D tech traditionally requires glasses, and all 3D displays need 3D source video to work.)

That 82-incher is part of the 737 “home theatre” TV line. Mitsubishi also has updated their soundbar-integrated LCD TVs with their latest 16-speaker-wielding Unisens. Those televisions start at $US1800 for a base 40-inch model and work their way to $US3,300 for the 52-inch.

Mitsubishi Digital Electronics America Announces Its Large Screen 2009 Home Theatre TVs with 3D-Ready Technology

New Line-up Offers Incredible Picture Quality and Exceptional Value and Includes World’s Largest 3D-Ready TV at Giant 82″ Screen Size

IRVINE, Calif. – April 8, 2009 – Mitsubishi Digital Electronics America, Inc. (MDEA) today announced its new Home Theatre TV series for 2009, offering a larger than life, vivid viewing experience and includes 3D-Ready1 viewing technology – a feature becoming more in demand among consumers as 3D content production continues to increase. In addition to 3D-Ready, the new Home Theatre TV product line features a solid offering of large screen sizes including an impressive 82″ model. All eco-friendly MDEA Home Theatre TVs are highly energy efficient, consuming approximately one-half the operating power of similarly sized flat panel TVs.

“Based on current economic conditions, consumers are looking for products that marry high quality with significant value, and TVs are no exception. Our new Home Theatre TVs provide unparalleled picture performance and value, and are the best performing displays for large screen entertainment,” said Frank DeMartin, vice president of marketing, Mitsubishi Digital Electronics America. “We view Home Theatre Television as a growth category, and our new 2009 line-up provides larger screen sizes, new technology enhancements, and notable efficiency in operating power consumption, which is becoming a prominent factor that consumers now consider when making a TV purchase.”

Best in Large Screen Entertainment

MDEA continues to lead the competition with the largest Home Theatre TVs available. The new 737 Series will include the all-new 82″ 1080p model along with 60″, 65″ and 75″ screen sizes – all featuring 3D-Ready viewing technology. The models will also include Smooth 120Hz™, New Advanced Video Calibration Mode, JADE Activity Based User Interface, Improved DeepField™ Imager, SharpEdge™, Video Noise Reduction, UltraThin™ Frame and Mitsubishi’s Exclusive 6-Color Processor™ which provides significantly more colour reproduction than typical flat panel TVs. All models are EnergyStar™ 3.0 qualified.

The MDEA 837 series boasts three premium Home Theatre TV models ranging from 65″to 82″, offering consumers outstanding picture performance with the ability to take advantage of the 3D-Ready capability. All of the Home Theatre TVs are highly energy efficient and are EnergyStar 3.0 qualified offering another layer of value with each model consuming approximately one-half the operating power of similarly sized flat panel TVs, at around half the price. Other features include PerfectTint™, 4 HDMI 1.3a, Dark Detailer™, NetCommand®, USB Media Input, ISFccc Certified, and RS-232C Interface.

“As the home theatre market continues to flourish and the cinema space continues to embrace 3D, we clearly see MDEA’s 3D-Ready Home Theatre TVs playing a key role in meeting consumers craving for the best and most advanced home theatre experience,” said David Naranjo, director of product development, Mitsubishi Digital Electronics America. “MDEA’s is clearly keeping pace with this increased demand and our new line-up of Home Theatre TVs offer consumers the opportunity to bring 3D into their own home to enjoy 3D movies and games.”

3D-Ready Redefines Home Theatre Experience

MDEA’s entire Home Theatre product line re-defines the large screen entertainment category by offering 3D-Ready viewing technology. Mitsubishi is committed to making 3D a reality in consumer’s homes worldwide and over the past several years, MDEA has worked closely with leading technology and content providers to develop the most compelling 3D experience for consumers, particularly for 3D gaming and movies.

Availability and Pricing

MDEA’s Home Theatre TV models are available now. Retail pricing is as follows:

737 Series

WD-60737 – $1,499.00 WD-73737 – $2,499.00

WD-65737 – $1,799.00 WD-82737 – $4,199.00

837 Series

WD-65837 – $2,199.00 WD-737837 – $2,999.00 WD-82837 – $4,999.00

About Mitsubishi Digital Electronics America, Inc.

Mitsubishi Digital Electronics America, Inc., the Official HDTV Sponsor of The PGA TOUR, manufactures and markets a comprehensive line of premium quality 1080p Home Theatre TVs and Unisen™ Flat Panel TVs along with the world’s first laser TV: LaserVue™. Recognised as the world leader and innovator of large display high-definition televisions, Mitsubishi Digital Electronics America builds products that lead the industry in quality, performance and ease-of-use. For additional information about MDEA, visit www.mitsubishi-tv.com.

¹In order to display 3D images, Mitsubishi LaserVue™ & Home Theatre DLP TVs require source devices to support checkerboard display formats for display of 3D gaming or 3D cinema content. A 3D standard format does not currently exist for Blu-Ray or DVD prepackaged media. A 3D standard may emerge that is not compatible with Mitsubishi LaserVue™ or Home Theatre DLPs.

6-Color Processor, Ultra Thin Frame, Smooth 120Hz Film Motion, and DeepField Imager are trademarks of Mitsubishi Digital Electronics America, Inc. DLP is a trademark of Texas Instruments. x.v. Colour is a trademark of Sony Corporation.

You know how some capacitive touchscreens seem to twitch when fingers are hovered near them? Mitsubishi has stretched that ability to the extreme, creating a magic(ish) touch panel that can track depth, too.

That someone has accomplished 3D motion tracking isn’t the news here—it’s that they’ve done it in single panel, without extra cameras or sensors and with a very high level of precision. How high? It measures your finger distance in steps of about .08mm, up to a distance of 20mm, and does so quickly enough that it can accurately guess its approach speed. Because of its short range, Mitsubishi says this tech will be most useful for mobile devices, which could add an extra method of interaction—hovering—to devices.

What’s really exiting is to imagine how this could change interfaces. Mitsu has a few examples already, but the possibilities are endless. Consider a plugin for your phonebook that senses apprehensive hovering and gives relevant advice? (”What are you doing? SHE BROKE YOUR HEART?”) or, more realistically, right-click-like controls for touch-only devices like the iPhone, which could display additional information like link URLs, file previews, extended contact info.

Though they haven’t given a clue as to when they’ll bring this tech market, they did say that “it will first be used for our products,” and, promisingly, that it took “only a few changes” to a currently available panel to achieve the effect, and shouldn’t significantly increase costs. [Tech-on]

If you want to have a look at the MiEVs in person, Mitsubishi are bringing two to Australia in February – one for the Melbourne Motor Show, while the other will be “driven by potential customers”, whatever that means. Hopefully that they’ll be stopping by the Gizmodo offices, perhaps?

[SMH]

Traditional touchscreens, like that iPhone everyone’s been talking about, can sometimes be tough to see and operate at the same time. After all, your fat hands are blocking the screen while you tap. If you’ve ever tried to film yourself using a touchscreen, you’ll know how annoying it can sometimes be. This tech provides a translucent screen, and the touch sensors are actually on the back of the screen itself. You can see the outline or an impression of your fingers on the display, but the entire screen is now uncovered while you control it. This apparently allows for much smaller virtual buttons, since you can see exactly what you’re touching.

LucidTouch, NanoTouch’s predecessor, was a cool proof of concept but was far too bulky and ungainly to be of much use. The new NanoTouch has much the same tech, but in a slim 2.4 inch package that’d be perfect for phones, mp3 players, and other pocketable kit. The makers are excited about its use in wearable tech and fashion, but I’d be plenty excited to see any example of wearable touchscreens that aren’t powerfully female-repellent. [New Scientist]