While most television manufacturers spend an inordinate amount of time and research dollars on the BIG PICTURE, Mitsubishi believes that their customers deserve BIG SOUND to go with their great high definition image.  To this end, today Mitsubishi announced their new "149" series of high-end LCD flat panel high definition televisions.  In addition to the usual picture quality enhancements, the 149 models are the first to include Mitsubishi's new iSP (Integrated Sound Projector) technology which uses an advanced combination of sound projection and timing to generate true 5.1 channel surround effects from a single integrated speaker bar.

With technology licensed from Cambridge-based 1Limited, similar to Yamaha's "YSP" (Yamaha Sound Projector) series of home theater products, the iSP system uses the side and rear walls of your room to beam or bounce the rear channel information to an area behind and to the sides of your ears.  Front channel information is delayed slightly so that everything arrives at your ears at the right time, producing a coherent multi-channel surround soundstage.

ISP technology will be available on the 46-inch LT-46149 (pictured) and the 52-inch LT-52149, both expected to be available next month.

Mitsubishi is the first to incorporate this type of surround sound into an integrated HDTV.  And because many (if not most) high definition television buyers rely on the built-in speakers for sound, Mitsubishi reps feel that the slight additional premium (about $400 over identical sets with no iSP) will be negligible when prospective customers hear the set demonstrated on the sales floor.  While it's sometimes difficult to notice differences in picture quality in the brightly lit showroom floor, a quick demo of the iSP sound system vs. a traditional TV speaker is anything but subtle. 

"The Mitsubishi Premium Flat Panel TV with iSP represents a significant milestone in our strategy to deliver a richer and easy-to-use home theater entertainment experience that meets strong consumer demand for simplicity and aesthetic purity within the home theater space," said David Naranjo, director of product development at Mitsubishi Digital Electronics America.  "The new Premium Flat Panel TV with iSP eliminates the need for separate audio components to provide a clutter-free home theater system that is also ideal for secondary home theater rooms such as bedrooms and smaller locations throughout the house where full-blown theater systems may not be practical."

At a press event in New York City last week, I sat in for the demo of this and other upcoming Mitsubishi technology, and was impressed with what I heard.  Of course, consumers will get better results by investing in a dedicated home theater system, but for those who don't want the additional set-up hassles, the iSP sound system provides a significant sonic upgrade over traditional TV speakers. 

Up close and personal with the integrated Sound Projector (iSP) sound bar on Mitsubishi's new LT-46149 LCD flat panel TV.

And speaking of the set up, setting up the iSP for your specific room is accomplished by a very intuitive on screen interface.  Although the default settings get good results in most rooms, the end user can make simple adjustments to get even better sound.  You can either just set the distances yourself (distance from couch to TV, distance from TV to side walls, etc.) or you can even get into an advanced set up mode that lets you move the sound "beams" to get the best effect for your room.  For the more advanced tweakers, a built-in test tone generator allows you to cycle through the different channels to measure levels and adjust them accordingly for the best effect.

The iSP's set-up menu allows you to tailor not just levels but actual beam direction so you can get the best sound out of your particular room.

Mitsubishi's new Premium Flat Panel TV with Integrated Sound Projector product line up will come in 46" (LT-46149) and 52" (LT-52149) models, expected in stores next month (July, 2008).  Suggested retail pricing will be $3299 for the 46-inch model and $3699 for the 52-inch model.