That we didn’t spot a successor to Mitsubishi’s well-received line of Unisen LCD HDTVs at CES 2011 should have been a signal, but now the company has made it official — it is downsizing TV operations, closing some offices and leaving the LCD TV business entirely. As the only company still selling rear projection sets to consumers, a letter from senior VP Cayce Blanchard (included after the break) indicates the plan is to focus on selling DLP and Laservue TVs in sizes above 73-inches where its flat panel competitors rarely reach.

We like the fact they’re focusing a bit more, it should help them dominate the huge rear projection market they’re shooting for pretty easily.

Display companies like Mitsubishi still don’t make a big-screen OLED we can buy, yet look at this, a curved display created by the company that looks to be about four feet tall and maybe 10 feet around. Okay, so a 3mm pixel pitch wouldn’t look too great standing anywhere within about 20 feet of the thing, but that’s why it’s designed for malls and big stores, places where its 1,200 nit brightness can shrug off ambient light. It was unveiled at ISE 2011 and surely it won’t be long before they’re all over Las Vegas.

Good points raised by the report, but then again, this won’t be something you’ll be 1 foot from anyhow. It’ll be neat to see how this gets used.

Sometimes having a computer monitor and a separate HDTV are just too much for your feng shui to handle, and Mitsubishi is here to enhance your qi with its MDT231WG all-in-one monitor. No, not an all-in-one in that it has a PC built in there, but rather it’s intended to serve double-duty as a computer monitor and an HDTV. Its 120hz refresh rate and 5.5ms response time mean it’ll keep up with Call of Duty, while its 178-degree viewing angle, 5000:1 contrast ratio IPS panel, and integrated 2.1 channel sound system means it should do a decent job at movie playback. And, with a combined power output for all three speakers of 11 watts you won’t even have to worry about waking the neighbors. Right now this is looking like it’ll only be hitting the Japanese market and, while Mitsu hasn’t announced a price yet, we found one for pre-order at ¥118,000 — just over $1,400 and a small price to pay for finding your perfect spot.

That isn’t cheap, mind you, but hey, perfection and clarity for multiple uses has its price.

While its older 3DTVs will still absolutely require an adapter, Mitsubishi is rolling out a software update for its 2010 line of 3D-ready HDTVs that will allow them to process additional forms of 3D video supported by HDMI 1.4 devices. The TVs shipped with only support for checkerboard or side-by-side format 3D, while the new update adds top-bottom (ESPN 3D) and frame packing (Blu-ray 3D) support without requiring an adapter passthrough. Owners of 738 and 838 TVs that are hooked to the internet should start seeing the update soon automatically, or it will be avialable for download from the website. You’ll probably still want to grab a starter kit with IR sync and glasses if you want the Samsung-compatible specs, but DLP-link active shutter 3D glasses should work without any additional hardware at all.

Mitsubishi also updated various sources to state that the software update will launch officially on 11/16.

Much like the Panasonics that got unleashed recently (and a strong new trend in HDTVs), all three have the ability to record to their hard drives or Blu-ray. We like the new feature, even if we aren’t huge fans of the increased price tag that comes with it usually.

Spec-wise, they’ve got full 1080p HD, backlit LCDs, 1TB HDD built-in, a ten speaker Diatone system for pretty good sound, USB and SD slots, and HDMI slots. The sets, which come in 40, 46, and 55-inches, also come with a pair of 3D glasses included for 3D joy.

They’ll be available in Japan in early October (to follow on other shores we’re sure at some point) for around $3,500, $4,700 and $5,900 (!!), respectively. Those price points might keep some away, but the HDTV fan with deep pockets may have found something to follow closely.

To that end, we’re downright elated to hear that the forgotten line has been revived for 2010, with an all new 75-inch model (L75-A91) being introduced for those who just can’t find a television big enough to fill their 8,000 square foot den. The behemoth measures in at 41.7- x 66.4- x 15-inches (so yeah, it’s still got some junk in the trunk), and as you’d expect, it’s fully 3D ready. Mistu’s 3D Starter Pack is being sold alongside of it, containing a 3D emitter, 3D Adapter with remote, an HDMI cable and a Blu-ray Disc with a collection of clips to really show off your new purchase. Other specs include web connectivity (StreamTV can hit up VUDU, Pandora, Flickr, Picasa and more), four HDMI-CEC inputs, a wired IR output, 1080p native resolution

The price, you ask? “Only” $5,999, and that does not include the $399 3D Starter Pack and $99 3D Adapter. And its not a tiny TV either, at 150+ pounds. But hey, with stats and features like the above and a dynamite picture, does anyone care?

No 3D nonsense here folks: Just straight ahead HDTV goodness. Mitsubishi has refreshed and updated its Unisen LCD HDTV lineup. All the newly updated models have StreamTV (a.k.a. VUDU Apps) built right in, plus playback from a USB device, and edge LED backlighting too for the ultimate in clarity.

While the LT-55154 loses a few speakers (you probably bought your own anyway), the step-up 164 line ranges from 40″ to 55″ including 16 speakers (!!) built in, with WiFi and Bluetooth streaming included and more while the big boy 265 models add two more speakers (as if it needed any more) and upgrade to 240 Hz motion too. Sounds pretty good to us.

Prices range between $1,699 & $3,199, and precise shipping/availability information is still TBA, so don’t get too excited yet. We’ll watch for these, as they look to be definite contenders in the HDTV quality arena.

Sure most other manufacturers are new to this 3DTV thing but Mitsubishi is already on its fourth generation, announcing the new 638, 738 and 838 series DLP TVs. New for the 2010 lineup, and possibly giving some insight to those weird HDTVs that appeared on Amazon yesterday is “StreamTV” interactive media which appears to be a new (post Wal-mart acquisition?) branding for the VUDU Apps service we spotted during CES with Pandora, Flickr, Picasa and others built in.

If that sounds like a little too much then don’t worry, it’s not in the base 638 series televisions while the 738 models add StreamTV, an optional WiFi N adapter and video calibration options, and the top of the line 838 models offer Mitsubishi’s 16 speaker built-in iSP surround sound tech along with a few other minor adjustments as upgrades. We’re still waiting to find out when these ship (probably in the next month or so), but one thing that never changes is projection’s ability to go big for less money than its flat-panel competitors, ranging from $1,199 for the 60-inch WD-60638 to $4,499 for the 82-inch WD-8238 (don’t forget to add in the price of a special checkerboard compatible 3D Blu-ray player or an adapter to make everything work.)

Detective work is a hard gig indeed, but we believe we may have found the ‘missing link’ with this elusive StreamTV. We’ll update you as we hear more.

First the good part: this new tech can be take vanilla 1080p material to 4K x 2K without breaking a sweat at all. This is huge (or could be) in the industry for the future, and will generate stunning picture on Mitsu TVs in the very near future, no doubt.

Now the less than great news: for some undisclosed reason, it does not work with Blu-Ray tech. Now that’s a crying shame, and the other downside being the rather high prices that this technology will command when its released. Hopefully though, this will lead to greater advances in upscaling technology in general over the next few years.

• There’s no doubt that the choices and amount of HD programming is increasing quite a bit, and TVpredictions.com has published its recommended list of HDTV shows to look out for. On there is of course the Winter Olympics, broadcast in HD all the way through for the first time ever. We second the recommendations on House and Men of a Certain Age, both very good shows. Go here to see the whole list.
• We’ve heard of big TVs at low prices, but how about this monstrous beauty from Mitsubishi? If you can stand DLP (and its developed quite a bit from its beginnings, being pretty sharp and nice-looking these days), this 73″ behomoth could be just the ticket, and at an amazing price to boot.
• It’s begun – Amazon has over 200 Blu-Ray titles for $10 or under, and this could be just the beginning really. It’s nice to see companies stepping up and making BR affordable, so us HDTV fans can have our favs in 1080p.

Thanks for reading, and have a fine Monday!