Sony has introduced a new line of liquid crystal display (LCD) high-definition televisions (HDTVs) aimed at the Japanese market, with the TVs not likely coming to North America or Europe.
Most of the new W5 and F5 TVs have 240Hz panels, but have an additional benefit that will make it easier to rent movies -- but the technology may also give security experts possible panic attacks.
The new 32-inch, 40-inch, and 46-inch TVs of the W5 TVs have 1920x1080 resolution, though the 32-inch KDL-32F5 has a 1366x768 pixels.
The Sony TVs will have a new electronic money card reader that can be used by TV owners to order pay-per-view content if the TV is connected to the Internet. Although using RFID technology is popular in Japan -- especially the use off electronic money -- it hasn't caught on quickly in the United States.
"With the new function of electronic money, pay-per-view programs can be more user-friendly than before when credit card numbers were entered by pushing the keys of the remote control," a Sony spokesperson said in a statement. "People would prefer electronic money to credit cards, as the amount of one payment is usually very small."
Sony has added the similar feature to its PlayStation 3 game console in Japan, but users in other parts of the world do not have the ability to use it.
