Mitsubishi Digital Electronics America announced Thursday that it has begun shipping two new models of its Unisen Diamond 249 series TV sets which are enabled out-of-the-box with the Vudu over-the-top-TV service. In July (see article published on itvt.com, July 30th), Vudu--which claims to have relationships in place with every major US movie studio and over 50 independent studios, enabling its OTT service to offer over 16,000 on-demand movies and TV episodes, of which around 2,200 are available in HD--announced the launch of the second-generation of its service which it said has been specifically optimized for Internet-connected TV's. On Wednesday, it also announced that its service was available on two HDTV models from LG Electronics; and its service is also expected to launch on TV sets from Vizio (note: until recently, its service was accessed exclusively over the company's own 1080p-enabled Vudu BX100, Vudu XL and Vudu XL2 set-tops).
Starting later this month, Mitsubishi says, the Vudu service on the new TV sets will also provide access to various popular Internet services, including YouTube, Flickr, Picasa and Pandora, as well as over 80 channels of on-demand TV.
According to Mitsubishi, the new Unisen Diamond 249 models--the LT-46249 ($2,799) and the LT-52249 ($3,299)--are both 1080p flat-panel HDTV's with integrated 16-speaker sound projectors and Dolby Digital Plus 5.1 Surround Sound. The models come equipped with an Ethernet port, allowing for wired or wireless connection to the Internet, and, Mitsubishi says, once they are connected to the Internet, Vudu service is immediately available on them.
Under a launch promotion, owners of the two new Vudu-enabled TV sets will receive two months' worth of free movies, including SD, HD and HDX titles. "We are always looking to elevate the large screen experience for consumers, and the Mitsubishi Vudu-enabled TV's will combine unprecedented HD program choice with unparalleled picture performance," Frank DeMartin, VP of marketing at Mitsubishi Digital Electronics America, said in a prepared statement. "Owners of Unisen Diamond Immersive Sound TV's will now have convenient access to high-quality entertainment content." Added Vudu CEO, Alain Rossmann: "Vudu's extensive HD library of newly released Hollywood titles provides the perfect entertainment solution for the Unisen Diamond LCD TV's. 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."
