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Making the television experiencemore realistic and user friendlyPowered by Wega Engine
High-definition technologies and high resolution
differentiate Sony’s televisions
Sony has almost half a century of experience in
television development. Throughout its history,
Sony has pursued the ideal in picture quality—
“realism”—by bringing transparency, depth,
sharpness and vibrant color together on the
television screen. The Trinitron television, Wega,
the culmination of Sony’s efforts to create the
ideal picture, has inspired and impressed people
everywhere.
The arrival of the broadband era has created an
environment ripe for enjoying an array of content
at home. Moreover, with digital broadcasting
becoming mainstream, demand is expanding for
televisions with higher resolution. To achieve the
same remarkable picture quality made possible
by the Trinitron display technology in plasma and
LCD televisions, as well as in the Grand Wega
rear-projection television, in 2001 Sony embarked
on a project to develop Wega Engine, a high-
quality, integrated digital picture system, that
capitalizes on Sony’s image processing expertise.
The most distinguishing feature of Wega
Engine is its ability to adapt to the characteristics
of various display devices, digitally processing a
variety of input signals to generate an exception-
ally sharp and realistic picture. Drawing on the
expertise of Sony engineers with decades of
experience in analog signal processing, the Wega
Engine’s circuitry can produce a high-quality
picture from digital and analog input signals alike.
The Wega Engine’s picture was created by opti-
mizing the four key elements that determine
image quality—brightness, contrast, color com-
patibility and sharpness—and was evaluated
extensively in line with Sony’s “realism” ideal.
With Wega Engine, Sony has succeeded in
combining imaging technologies it has cultivated
over the years to create a new digital technology.
This has facilitated the development of a televi-
sion with a picture so realistic that it can, for
example, precisely reproduce the natural color
and depth of a red flower, thereby creating an
entirely new dimension of viewing excitement.
Wega Gate and Studio Application—Intuitive
controls for enhanced enjoyment
Today’s televisions often come with complicated
remote controls with multiple buttons and thick
owner’s manuals that confuse many users. After
giving considerable thought to this problem,
Sony’s Product Planning Managers came up with
Wega Gate. A push of the Wega Gate button on
the television remote control brings up a control
panel on the screen that enables the user to per-
form a variety of tasks intuitively. Sony has also
developed Studio Application, which allows users
to watch digital images from a video camera
Handycam and television programs stored in a
VAIO PC on a Wega television. This function was
developed in response to user demand for the
ability to copy recorded television programs and
other content onto a Memory Stick for viewing on
cellular phones or personal digital assistants. With
its firm commitment to both picture quality and
ease of use, Sony achieved the leading share of the
global television market* in the fiscal year ended
March 31, 2004.
*Indicates share of the total global market (by value) for
CRT, rear-projection and flat panel televisions.
Enjoy a realistic television picture
anytime, anywhere
Television powered by Wega Engine
technology
With the Wega Engine’s high-quality
picture image circuit, users can enjoy the
same breathtaking picture on any
television—LCD Wega, plasma Wega or
Grand Wega.
Studio Application, a function
that combines Sony’s expertise
in many fields
Record television programs onto a
Memory Stick and enjoy watching them
anywhere on cellular phones or personal
digital assistants.
A stylish remote control that’s
easy to use
The Wega’s aluminum remote control
reflects Sony’s commitment to style and
functionality. Operation is as easy as
pressing the Wega Gate button and using
the jog dial to navigate the control panel
on the television screen. The jog dial
enables the smooth execution of desired
actions from the control panel menu,
which is arranged conveniently by
function.
http://www.sony.net/
File 01: Flat panel television “WEGA”
[KDE-P61-HX2N]
Yoshihiro Yamamoto
General Manager
Systems Technology Section
Display Solutions Department
Home Electronics Development Division
Home Electronics Network Company
Noriyasu Yamada
Product Planning Manager
FTV Product Planning Section
Product Planning Department
Television Business Division
Home Electronics Network Company
The Wega Engine’s high-quality picture image circuit