September 25 - 3:30pm EDT   Hitachi is expected to demonstrate a new video up-converting technology at the CEATEC show in Japan due to start next week, according to a Thursday report. The company claims its super resolution technology will not only convert DVD and SDTV images into near 1080p HD resolution, but it also has the capability of improving the way HDTV broadcasts look. While no specific information on how the process works was revealed, a Hitachi researcher explained it analyzes the luminance signals of input images before processing multiple regions at a time. [full story]

September 18 - 4:40pm EDT   Hitachi on Thursday announced significant changes in its operations for LCD and plasma HDTV production. The announcement comes after earlier promises of upcoming changes, spurred by $1,062 million in lost profits in fiscal year 2007. The majority of the loss stemmed from HDTV business. The electronics maker said it would focus on offering higher-value HDTVs in order to better compete with other HDTV makers, including integrating Internet access into future products. Video content on the web available thus far only via computers will be made accessible to Hitachi HDTV users via the company’s website. [full story]

September 4 - 1:20pm EDT   Hitachi is unveiling a 1.5-inch thick 50-inch plasma display, which heads up the company's new UltraThin 1.5 family of products that also includes 1.5-inch thick LCD HDTVs, at the CEDIA Expo on Thursday. The display, which Hitachi is quick to point out is among the largest and thinnest of its kind, will headline Hitachi's release of plasma HDTVs in the A-, S-, V- and X-series, made up exclusively of 42- and 50-inch displays. While not quite 1.5 inches thick, the new plasma HDTVs will be available with manual swivel stands or remote-controlled powered swivel stands. [full story]

August 11 - 11:05am EDT   Hitachi today fulfilled expectations for an international release and updated its Blu-ray camcorders to include the BD10HA, the North American version of a new model already introduced in Japan. The new camera is about 20 percent smaller but includes a newer seven-megapixel sensor that improves light sensitivity, adds face detection, and captures 6.2-megapixel still photos in addition to 1920x1080 video. [full story]

August 1 - 3:40pm EDT   Hitachi is developing a new generation of lithium-ion battery packs that should significantly extend the running time of portable devices without requiring a radical breakthrough in technology, the company said when discussing its financial results. The Japanese electronics maker plans to swap the graphite used in the electrodes of today's batteries with a silicon alloy material that would increase the effective capacity of a battery by 20 percent without making additional changes. [full story]

July 30 - 9:25am EDT   Hitachi this morning launched a pair of CinemaStar drives for users of DVRs and any other computer or device that needs to run for long periods of time. The 1TB 7K1000.B relies on the same basic design as its normal DeskStar counterpart but is tuned to run all day and in harsher conditions. The new version is both more resilient against high temperatures as well as modified to run more quietly while it seeks data on the drive. The disk further borrows power optimization tricks from Hitachi's notebook drives to cut down on its energy draw. [full story]

July 24 - 7:35am EDT   Hitachi today launched a second update to its Blu-ray equipped camcorders to render it more portable as well as more flexible. The DZ-BD10H uses miniaturization of both the 30GB hard drive and the CMOS image sensor to shrink the camera by about 20 percent, fitting it more easily to hand. It also adds an SDHC card slot that adds about four hours and 45 minutes of full-quality 1920x1080 AVCHD video as well as a new way of offloading data beyond a direct USB connection or a miniature, one-hour Blu-ray disc. [full story]

July 23 - 4:20pm EDT   E Ink Corporation announced on Wednesday that both Casio and Hitachi will use its E Ink Vixplex Imaging Film for the outside displays of their upcoming clamshell cellular phones. The company specializes in electronic paper display technologies, and promises its technology will decrease the energy used by the devices. While the Hitachi W61 was previewed back in January, the Casio Model G’zOne is all new. [full story]

July 9 - 12:00pm EDT   Hitachi this morning touted its eco-friendliness and launched the Deskstar 7K1000.B. The disk holds the same 1TB as the earlier, original 7K1000 but demands 43 percent less power when idle, letting users upgrade without worrying that the drive will consume more energy just through its presence. The disk is also potentially more secure with the option of Bulk Data Encryption to lock data through hardware rather than depending on software. [full story]

July 3 - 9:40am EDT   Hitachi expects to offer a hard disk with five terabytes of storage by 2010, the company tells Japan's Nikkei BP (registration required). While some recent developments are nearing one terabit per inch, Hitachi says its CPP-GMR (Current Perpendicular to the Plane Giant Magnetoresistance) technology has improved to where the company will push past 1TB per inch in two years and allow a 5TB, 3.5-inch desktop hard drive in two years. [full story]

July 2 - 9:25am EDT   Japanese cellphone users are most eager to have the iPhone 3G over any other smartphone in or coming to the market, according to a new study by iShare. The research group says that 57.9 percent of all those responding to a survey said they most wanted the Apple device, which placed well ahead of others despite the study method allowing multiple answers. Second place belonged to the Japan-made Willcom D4 UMPC and phone crossover at 35.8 percent, while the more conventional Willcom 03 was third at 33.1 percent. [full story]

June 20 - 4:00pm EDT   Hitachi on Thursday unveiled its newest LCD projector, the second in its line-up to offer 1366x768 (WXGA) resolution. The CP-WX625 LCD projector (not pictured) is being shown at InfoComm 2008 and features a 4000 lumens brightness rating along with a 16:10 native aspect ratio. The business-grade projector was designed with ease of maintenance in mind, including a 2000-hour side-mounted hybrid filter and a 3,000-hour Whisper mode lamp that is accessible via a top panel door. [full story]

May 29 - 11:45am EDT   Apple is on par with Canon and Toshiba as one of the most highly regarded brands in Japan, according to a new study published by Gfk. Surveys of more than 40,000 Japanese people gives the American company equal footing with the other electronics makers despite Japan's historical preference for native brands. The company's industrial design and support for Windows users have helped it reach the top ranks, the research group says. Apple specifically earned its highest scores for both desktop and notebook PCs as well as portable media players. [full story]

May 28 - 4:55pm EDT   Hitachi on Wednesday unveiled a pair of new hard drives to add to its CinemaStar line, with the C5K320 and the 5K500. The former is a 2.5-inch hard drive with up to 320 GB capacity, while the latter is built around a 500GB, 3.5-inch hard drive. All of Hitachi’s CinemaStar hard disk drives are designed to extend the recording capacity of DVRs in home theater setups, but can also work with media center PCs. [full story]

May 27 - 4:30pm EDT   At Tuesday's corporate strategy meeting, Hitachi announced it would continue to pursue with its money-losing HDTV panel manufacturing along with recovering HDD sales as core businesses. Company president Kazuo Furukawa maintains panel production will remain the company's core business because demand is growing globally, as one of three reasons for the newfound focus. [full story]