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Category: hdtv

  • AirPlay Mirroring Versus AirParrot

    One of the biggest perks of Mountain Lion, Apple’s latest operating system release, is that it gives Mac users the ability to mirror whatever is on their screen straight through to their HDTV with an AppleTV. It’s great for presentations, broadcasting the iTunes visualizer, or streaming online video and games right onto the big screen. But it won’t work correctly for everyone.

    As long as you have a Mac that was manufactured in 2011 or later, AirPlay mirroring will work perfectly. But what if you have an older device? For those users, a startup called Squirrels offers an app that successfully mirrors off of older devices. But does it work just as well?

    It’s incredibly easy to use AirPlay Mirroring with a modern device. With a couple of quick menu selections, you’ll see your Mac monitor on your HDTV in perfect 1920×1080 resolution. If you want to adjust it, you also have that option.

    According to experts testing the device, it worked very well. The streamed video was sharp and clear, and the frame rate was smooth enough for any type of viewed material. It’s basically a wireless extension of the computer’s display.

    If you’re running an older device, all you need is to pay Squirrels $10 for a license to their shareware called AirParrot. Download it onto your desktop, and after a simple install you’ll select the AppleTV option for mirroring.

    You can run AirParrot using Snow Leopard, Lion or Mountain Lion, and it will run on any Mac that is powered by Intel. If you do have significantly older hardware, you might occasionally notice choppy steaming. But AirParrot even has a version that runs on Windows, for those users who haven’t yet made the full switch to Apple.

    AirParrot also has some neat extra features. You can set up your HDTV as an additional monitor for your computer, instead of a straight mirror. You can still adjust the frame rate and resolution, and switch out audio if necessary.

    The bottom line is, either one is a great option based on your current hardware. Although AirPlay will work more seamlessly and AirParrot will significantly tax your device, either one will fit the bill for your mirroring needs.

    [source: arstechnica]

  • Logitech's HDTV Webcam Enables Home Theater Skype Connection

    Logitech has long led the industry in wireless technology, with a mouse and keyboard sure to be found in most offices and homes in America. Now they’re launching pushing into new wireless territory with the TV Cam HD, a webcam that can be mounted on your home theater system.

    The TV Cam HD is a fully standalone device that comes stock with Skype built in. You place it on top of your current HDTV and log on to your Skype account wirelessly through your home network. And with the remote control, you can take care of the whole process from the comfort of your couch.

    Logitech didn’t rush this latest device, and the details prove that out. The wide-angle lens is a Carl Zeiss, and you’ll find four internal microphones to allow for group conversations. The inclusion of Skype on the TV Cam HD sets this release apart from prior Logitech releases such as the standard TV Cam., which required an HDTV set that was compatible with the camera and already installed with Skype. That became a problem, as many of the biggest HDTV brands, such as Samsung, Panasonic and LG, offer sets that do not support webcams on their own.

    Other popular integrated video conferencing units include the Biscotti and the Tely Labs TelyHD. The former works with Google Talk, and the latter with Skype. But Logitech’s version integrates so seamlessly with HDTV units that it may give those competitors some serious fits moving forward.

    Consumers can grab the TV Cam HD starting this month for $199, making it middle-of-the-pack as far as pricing. But if you spend a great deal of time on Skype and want to experience it in full HDTV quality, the purchase will be more than worth it.

  • 4K: The Future of HDTV

    Technology continues to change almost at the speed of thought. Go back half a decade, and the HDTV was the height of the home theater experience. Then 3D HDTVs came out, and users around the world rushed out to bring one home. But now 4K HDTVs are right around the corner, and will again change the home viewing experience forever.

    Also known as either Ultra HD or Super HD, the 4K refers to the horizontal resolution of the device. That means you’ll get nearly 4,000 pixels on the diagonal, and almost 2,000 pixels vertically. That adds up to a total of nearly eight million pixels. So sitting in front of a 4K set will give viewers the experience of watching the combined power of four HDTVs at the same time.

    The industry hasn’t yet created a real standard for the 4K HDTV. You’ll find Quad HD (3840 x 2160) and 4K/2K (4096 x 2160), and additional options for projectors and cameras. The 4K HDTV was the brainchild of Hollywood, looking for a way to create more options for the current crop of digital visionaries. The recent “The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo” remake was screened in 4K, and it seems that more and more films will follow suit.

    Once the 4K HDTV hits the living room, it will truly change the home screening experience. The problem will be content. There just isn’t much out there that will take full advantage of the resolution. Ideally, new programming will arise, but there is no timetable for that.

    Size and price may also be an issue for many consumers. The 4K HDTVs that are now being shown off are all at least 84-inch displays, and are going to hit the market at costs over $20,000. And according to tech experts, the ideal screen size for the 4K set would be 25 feet. So until it becomes more prevalent, only the richest and most dedicated viewers will be able to enjoy this new technology.

  • TV Shipments Set to Decrease in 2012

    According to experts in HDTV and TV trends, worldwide shipments will drop by 1.4% during the course of 2012. NPD DisplaySearch announced the drop in their Quarterly Global TV Shipment and Forecast Report, which was released earlier this month.

    According to the details of that report, 245 million televisions will ship in 2012. Shipments of LCD TVs, one of the largest growth areas in the industry, will still increase by 5%. But that growth is down 2% from 2011.

    DisplaySearch believes the decline is due to the market for traditional televisions shrinking, and the fact that there just aren’t as many discounts this year as there were last year. They’ve also noticed more cautious spending practices by Asian and European consumers. For reference, average prices have declined 4% in 2012, down from a 10% decline back in 2010.

    According to the company’s Director of North American TV Research, the economic concerns still felt around the world are impacting both consumers and manufacturers. HDTV companies are feeling the need to hang on tighter to their profit margins, which consumers hang on to their money.

    The only area that seems to be significantly growing is in large screen televisions and backlit devices. Outside of North America, emerging markets of China, Latin America and Eastern Europe, are making up for some of that consumer reluctancy, and even Africa and the Middle East are showing growth.

    All in all, LCD technology is maintaining significant growth. It’s surpassed CRT and plasma devices, and now actually make up for almost 90% of worldwide television shipments.

  • LG Launches 4K HDTV in Korea

    LG has long been an industry leader in the high-end HDTV market, leading the way with well-reviewed releases and cutting edge technology. While here in the U.S. we may have to wait a while longer for their next big release, it seems that customers in Korea are finally going to be able to purchase a long anticipated offering from the international company.

    LG had previewed their 84-inch ultra definition HDTV at CES, and will now ship a limited quantity of the devices for sale solely in the Asian country.

    Their ‘Ultra Definition’ HDTV sports a resolution of 3,840 x 2,160, with a stunning 1080p image in standard or 3D viewing. It has all of LG’s stock Smart TV features, and will ship with the company’s Cinema 3D passive glasses tech. The timing of the announcement may be a direct response to Samsung’s unveiling of their massive, 75-inch ES9000 HDTV.

    The companies both hail from Korea, and chances are LG simply couldn’t let Samsung beat them to the punch in their native land. The ES9000 has yet to be reviewed, so there’s no telling which device will gain the most traction, but LG is probably betting that the extra nine inches of screen size in their device could sway potential customers choosing between the two.

    According to Samsung, the 4K HDTV will retail in Korea for just under $22,000 US, with a mere 84 units available during the first month. The sound system is truly 3D, with a 2.2 channel set up. American consumers will surely be eager to check out the device here at home, but since hardly any American cable networks are broadcasting in 4K, the lack of content means much of the HDTV’s strengths would go untested.

  • Mirror Your iPad on a HDTV

    Love all that your iPad has to offer and want to share it with a group in a home theater setting? All of those apps, movies and games look great on the iPad if it’s just you, but if you want everyone at home to enjoy it, you’ve now got options. Mirroring your iPad’s display onto a HDTV is as simple as running it through an adapter. Here’s a quick look at how to get it done.

    The most seamless connection will work in conjunction with Apple TV and it’s cutting edge AirPlay technology. If you expect to often connect your iPad to your HDTV, spending the $100 on Apple TV is the best, most seamless method. As long as your iPad 2 or 3 is running iOS 5 or a later version, and your Apple TV is running version 5.0 or later, you’re basically good to go. You’ll link the iPad to the Apple TV through a Wi-Fi network. Then just hop on your iPad, access the AirPlay icon, and connect to the Apple TV with Mirroring turned on.

    Although it won’t be quite as elegant, you can link the two through a digital adapter set-up. Pick up a HDMI adapter for around $40, and then drop another $40 for the Apple Digital AV Adapter, which you’ll find in most technology retailers. The adapter plugs into the iPad, and then links to the HDTV with the HDMI cable. If your HDTV doesn’t have that port, you could use a VGA adapter or composite plug-in as an alternative. Just remember that you’ll need the latest iPad and upgraded adapters to make it all work. And you’ll only see video up to 720p with this set-up. But for a cheaper fix, and one you can take with you wherever you go, it’s quite solid.

  • Samsung Unveils Largest, Most Expensive HDTV

    Earlier this week, at an industry press event held on the U.S.S. Intrepid Museum in New York City, Samsung previewed their massive, 75-inch 3D HDTV. The ES9000 is the most impressive device they’ve ever released, and should get a great deal of coverage in the technology industry over the next month. It will incorporate all of the Smart Interaction features that were so popular in their previous ES8000 series, further changing how consumers interact with their home theater devices.

    The new HDTV, which will sport a $10,000 price tag, has a distinctive rose and gold bezel, very different from the traditional silver, clear and black seen in the majority of HDTVs. A retractable camera gives users control of the device through gestures, and integrates seamlessly with Skype.

    Samsung has it’s own dedicated apps for these devices as well, and demonstrated its capabilities with a preview of Angry Birds. The game will be a free download, playable on their E8000, ES8000, and ES7500 line as well, and can be controlled completely with gestures on the ES9000.

    Samsung declared that the new release will have a significantly better picture, due primarily to their Precision Black Local Dimming and Micro Dimming Ultimate features. They expect 30% improvement in the black colors, and 60% increased sharpness. The ES9000 will begin shipping out to stores in August, giving consumers the opportunity to soon decide for themselves if the difference is worth an upgrade.

    The $9,999 retail price makes it one of the most expensive HDTVs on the market. It hasn’t been reviewed yet, so it remains to be seen if the ES9000 will completely earn that price break. But the device is sure to turn heads in the high end HDTV market.

  • With DirecTV and Viacom at Odds, Apple HDTV Suffers

    The continuing litigation between Viacom and DirecTV reached new levels this week, as Viacom pulled all of its stations from DirecTV’s more than twenty million subscribers. For those unfortunate satellite viewers, access to some of the most popular networks in the country, including Nickelodeon, Comedy Central, BET and MTV has been denied, with no end to the blackout in sight. Viacom has also removed many of their most watched shows from DirecTV’s free online streaming service, drawing a line against internet-powered content providers.

    With the two media giants battling over internet rights and increased pricing, owners of Apple’s forthcoming HDTV service may find themselves losing out..

    Apple’s goal was to supplement their popular Apple TV service with an expanded offering, one that allows viewers to pick and choose the channels they want included in their plans. This strategy is an affront to the cable providers who really make their money through bundled plans, and refuse to come down from their previous strategies. This is the case with Viacom and DirecTV, and may keep Apple’s a la carte dreams from ever becoming a reality.

    Apple has long contended that their internet service would save consumers money over traditional cable television. But it is clear that Viacom and those other programming behemoths will price individual channels so high that private customers would end up spending far more for Apple’s HDTV service than they would for cable. The only hope is if Apple can strike direct deals with the content creators, thereby giving customers a direct line into picking and choosing their favorite shows. But as Netflix, Hulu and other internet content providers have found, traditional entertainment companies are unwilling to play ball.

  • LG Unveils World’s Largest OLED TV

    LG will present the future of TV technology at the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas with the unveiling of the world’s largest OLED TV with a display size of 55 inches. By incorporating the company’s 4-Color Pixels and Color Refiner features with LG Display’s advanced OLED panels, LG OLED TV generates the most natural colors of any TV set at a much lower price point than could have been achieved using the standard manufacturing process.

    “Working closely with LG Display, we have a product which not only delivers on all the advantages of OLED over LCD but at a significantly lower cost than what could be achieved using existing OLED manufacturing technologies,” said Havis Kwon, President and CEO of LG Electronics Home Entertainment Company. “OLED is clearly the future of home TV entertainment and LG is very focused on making this exciting technology as easy as possible for consumers to embrace.”

    What sets LG’s TV picture apart from other OLED TVs is 4-Color Pixels and Color Refiner which work together to generate natural and accurate colors that are sharp and consistent. The 4-Color Pixels feature allows for more accurate color depiction by using a set of four colors (red, green blue and white) in comparison to the RGB setup used by other OLED TV manufacturers. Color Refiner ensures consistency in colors from a wider viewing angle via an LG algorithm which improves and refines hues and tones. This is in contrast to other OLED TVs which often exhibit drastic changes in hues from different viewing angles and abnormal color gamut.

    Boasting an infinite contrast ratio, LG’s OLED TV exhibits vivid colors and the smallest details regardless of the overall luminance of the on-screen image. In turn, colors and details throughout an entire image are preserved with utmost clarity and sharpness, even when displaying scenes with dark lighting. Such color capabilities are technically impossible with LED and LCD display panels. And at 1,000 times faster than LED/LCD displays, LG’s OLED TV shows crystal clear motion without any blurring or bleeding.

    And LG’s OLED TV is as aesthetically pleasing as it is technologically sophisticated. LG’s Slim and Narrow Bezel design gives the TV a sleek, minimal look and at only 4 mm thin and a mere 7.5 kg, LG’s OLED TV practically blends into the wall.

  • Samsung Becomes the World's First in Mass Production of Transparent LCD Panel

    Samsung has announced that it began mass production of a 22-inch transparent LCD panel in March this year. The panels come in two types, the black-and-white type and the color type, and they have a contrast ratio of 500:1 with WSXGA+ (1680*1050) resolution.

    Compared with the conventional LCD panels that use back light unit (BLU) and have 5% transparency, Samsung’s transparent LCD panel boasts the world’s best transparency rate of over 20% for the black-and-white type and over 15% for the color type.

    The transparent LCD panel has a high transparency rate, which enables a person to look right through the panel like glass, and it consumes 90% less electricity compared with a conventional LCD panel using back light unit.

    It’s because a transparent LCD panel utilizes ambient light such as sun light, which consequently reduces the dependency on electricity for generating power.

    According to Samsung, its transparent LCD panel maximizes convenience for not only manufacturers but also consumers by incorporating the HDMI and the USB interface.

    Transparent display panels have endless possibilities as an advertising tool, which can be applied to show windows and outdoor billboards or used in showcase events.

    Corporations and schools can also adopt the panel as an interactive communication device, which enables information to be displayed more effectively.

    Younghwan Park, a senior vice president of Samsung Electronics LCD Business, said, “Transparent displays will have a wide range of use in all industry areas as an efficient tool for delivering information and communication. With the world’s first mass production of the transparent LCD panel, Samsung Electronics plans to lead the global transparent LCD market by developing various applications.”