Sony to use PS2 chip in flat-screen TVs

TOKYO--According to Japanese Web site Nikkei Net, Sony will use the PlayStation 2's CPU chip in a flat-screen TV that will be released this fall. According to the report, Sony plans to take advantage of the PS2 chip's CG capabilities to create a high-quality graphical user interface (GUI) for the flat-screen TV, which will allow smooth and easy control in navigating the TV's menu.

Last year, Sony released a hybrid DVD-HDD recorder, called the PSX, which could play PS2 games with its embedded PS2 chip. The inclusion of the PS2 chip also gave the PSX a unique rotating graphical menu when using its DVD/HDD recording capabilities. Nikkei Net reports that Sony will adopt the same kind of rotating menu in its upcoming flat-screen TV.

With its new product, Sony hopes to get back into the flat-screen TV market, where it has been falling behind competitors such as Sharp. The release of the new flat-screen TV can also be considered as the prelude to Sony's next-generation electronic products, some of which are expected to operate using the PS3's Cell chip when they are released in 2006.