SONY TO BRING BIG-SCREEN CINEMA TO THE HOME

Sony, which has blamed the saturated market for high-definition TV sets for its losses at its TV manufacturing division, may be moving into a less crowded field: giant-screen ultra-high-definition TV, capable of giving viewers at home a theatrical experience. It announced that it will introduce later this year the XBR-84X900, an 84-inch LCD set producing 4K images — i.e., four times the picture quality of conventional HD sets. The company said that they will offer a “full cinema-like experience” and provide “an immersive, full-bodied and rich sound.” They will be capable of displaying 3D images and connecting via wi-fi to home computers to allow consumers to view personal photos and videos as well as video content from YouTube, Netflix, Hulu, and other video websites. Sony did not indicate how much the sets will sell for, but analysts estimated that they will probably go for around $20,000-25,000.