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Tag: led

  • Revealed: 4K Ultra HD Video Player as "Only Sony can do"

    Home viewers are eagerly placing advance orders for a Sony 4K HD Video Player, included with each purchase of its 84-inch XBR-84X900 LED TV for a total "One Sony" experience that incorporates all of its electronics and entertainment capabilities into one black box.

    Phil Molyneux, Sony Electronics COO, told us this is something "only Sony can do." Obtainable exclusively with this particular HDTV on a no-cost lease, this is the first-ever 4K player for the residential consumer. Finally, we have the long-awaited details of what the new video player entails. Incorporated within the workings of the 84-inch screen, the 4K player is a hard-disc server in its own right. We'll be among the earliest proud recipients of a specimen model when the product is launched.

    The 4K comes pre-loaded with a small collection full-length feature films, including Total Recall (2012), Taxi Driver, The Amazing Spider-Man (refer to press release for a complete list of titles), along with brief sports clips from Red Bull and concert footage. The package comes with a remote controller in the form of an Experia Tablet S app along the same lines as its Movies Unlimited service. Ah, that would explain at least some of the eye-watering MRSP of $24,999.99. This is the first opportunity the home viewer will have the opportunity to experience this quality of 4K video under their own roof. By "home viewer" we are clearly not referring to your average university student living away from home for the first time, but purchasers with the means to acquire high-end gear.

    You've got to ask yourself if the human eye is even capable of discerning the difference in quality between bog-standard HD and 4K, or will all but the most well-heeled viewer look at it and see a late model two-door convertible. Kaz Hirai is counting on it. Having invested in its Colorworks digital production studio in 2009, white glove task force dedicated to updating content, not to mention two mega high-spec CinaAlta 4K camcorders (complete with matching prices), we can expect more of the same from Sony.

  • The Top-Rated Vizio M3D470KD HDTV Set

    If you want a high quality HDTV device but can’t see yourself paying more than $1,000, do yourself a favor and check out the 47-inch Vizio M3D470KD. Coming in at a lean $900, this edge-lit LED delivers excellent image quality, intense colors, and fantastic wireless connectivity.

    Vizio’s solid new release centers around the remote control. It’s fitted with a full keyboard, so linking the set with an Apple TV and navigating streaming content is a breeze. It’s not fully without it’s flaws, as the sound from the built-in speakers isn’t fantastic, but you can’t do much better at this price point.

    The M3D470KD features both 2D and 3D viewing, and tests shows it performs well in either setting. And though the image does suffer from some softness depending on the content, it features a wide range of angles of acceptable viewing, which sets it apart from other LED competitors.

    Again, the big drawback is the sound. It distorts without being pushed very far, and the imitation surround sound system is just that. So if you’re looking for the full theatrical experience, it will best be paired with a set of quality speakers.

    It’s also quite green, having earned the Energy Star label. While it uses a fairly average amount of watts when turned on, when turned off it uses close to zero energy. The backlight adjusts to the amount of ambient light as well, so it won’t waste the juice if it’s unnecessary.

    Vizio’s new release isn’t the simplest HDTV to set up, but it comes with a wealth of installed features. You’ll access Netflix, Hulu Plus, Amazon and Vudu Pay-Per-View services and YouTube right out of the box, as well as direct access to many of the most popular websites in the world. You’ll even find a dedicated set of web video channels, pulled from sites like PBS, Vimeo and Funny or Die. So if you’re willing to pay for a solution to the audio issue, you’ll find yourself more than happy with the purchase.

  • VIZIO Unveils 65-inch Theater 3D Razor LED HDTV

    VIZIO announced the introduction of their new Theater 3D technology with the launch of the 65" Theater 3D Edge Lit Razor LED LCD HDTV with VIZIO Internet Apps. The 65" XVT3D650SV is VIZIO’s largest HDTV ever.

    The company claims that their Theater 3D technology provides a superior alternative to conventional 3D by utilizing battery-free, affordable and lightweight 3D glasses causing less eyestrain than the current "Active Shutter" technology. According to VIZIO, "Theater 3D technology produces clear, flicker-free 3D images that are noticeably brighter than conventional 3D and eliminates costly and bulky 3D eyewear that requires batteries or charging."

    The XVT3D650SV supports a wide selection of 3D formats to ensure compatibility across Blu-ray, broadcast, cable, satellite, and gaming. In addition to the standard formats, VIZIO also supports SENSIO Hi-Fi 3D, the high quality, visually lossless 3D format that enables 3D content to be delivered over 2D infrastructure as well as RealD’s patented side-by-side format.

    VIZIO’s Smart Dimming technology in this Edge-Lit Razor LED intelligently controls its array of LEDs, which are organized in 32 zones. Working frame by frame, based on the content being displayed, Smart Dimming adjusts brightness in precise steps down to pure black (where the LED is completely off). This cutting edge technology minimizes light leakage, and enables a Dynamic Contrast Ratio of 1 Million to 1, for blacker blacks and whiter whites on the same screen.

    The XVT3D650SV also features the latest VIZIO Internet Apps (VIA) Connected HDTV platform. Current Apps from top online content and service brands include: Amazon Video On Demand, Facebook, Flickr, Netflix, Rhapsody, Pandora, Twitter, VUDU and Yahoo! TV Widgets. Additional Apps recently released include Fandango, Yahoo Fantasy Football, NBA Game Time, Wiki TV, My-Cast, MediaBox, TuneIn Radio, Web Videos and iMemories.

    "Our Theater 3D technology is a significant step forward in bringing a high-quality, immersive experience home to consumers," stated Matthew McRae, VIZIO CTO.

    "The bright and flicker-free images, extremely low crosstalk, and comfortable glasses allow extended viewing of content without the side-effects associated with the first generation of 3D technology. This is increasingly important as more content is released and 3D gaming goes mainstream," he added.

    Related articles
    LG Unveils E90 LED Monitor
    iSuppli: Vizio and Samsung Split Leadership in U.S. TV Market in Q3
    JVC Announces World’s First THX 3D Certified Home Theater Projectors

  • LG Unveils E90 LED Monitor

    LG has just unveiled its new E90 monitor, the company’s slimmest LED monitor to date at just 7.2 mm in depth. It will be available starting this month in select markets.

    In keeping with its ultra slim design, the LG E90 places the power supply and the socket connecting the monitor with the PC on the back of the stand, an innovation called EZ-cabling.

    According to LG, in addition to the reduced footprint offered by its light weight and slim size, the E90 manages to reduce both energy consumption – as much as 40 percent less than conventional CCFL-backlit LCD monitors – and use of hazardous materials such as halogen and mercury in its manufacturing.

    The E90 is a good choice for watching action movies or sporting matches because, with a response time of just 2 milliseconds, the monitor’s display "remains clear and bright" even during fast-moving action sequences. Additionally, LG’s Image Booster software, blurry streaming content from video sites such as YouTube are significantly enhanced so they look terrific on the E90’s vivid display, as the company claims.

    "The E90 is the result of advanced technology and beautiful design coming together in perfect alignment," said Si-hwan Park, Vice President of LG’s monitor division.

    "With its revolutionary features in terms of design and picture quality, the E90 is the leading example of the company’s "SUPER LED" monitor line that is setting new benchmarks for style and performance," he added.

  • LED Breathes New Life into Monitor Market

    Capitalizing on the slim form factor and energy savings potential, the use of LEDs in LCD monitor panels is growing rapidly, according to DisplaySearch.

    “Although the desktop monitor market is mature, panel makers and brands are working together to develop new features such as slimness and lower power consumption to rejuvenate the sector,” say the analysts.

    Panel makers are using LED backlights in mainstream monitor sizes such as 18.5”, 19”, 22”, and 23”/24”. Although LED backlight penetration in monitor panels was only 1.4% in Q3’09, current panel maker plans indicate that the penetration could reach 22% in Q3’10, assuming adoption by brands.

    According to DisplaySearch’s latest Quarterly LED Backlight Panel Shipment & Forecast Report, InnoLux was the leading supplier of LED backlit monitor panels in Q3’09, with 34.4% of unit shipments.

    Other panel makers producing such panels include LG Display, AUO, Samsung and CMO. Brands like Samsung, Dell, LG, Acer, Lenovo, BenQ and AOC began launching LED backlit LCD monitors ranging from 18.5” to 24” in Q3’09.

    DisplaySearch says in Q1’10, 20”, 23.6” and 27” panels will enter the market. In addition, there are small LCD TV sizes such as 26” that are adapting monitor panels, the LED backlight is also brining the attractions to this segment.

    TV brands like Vizio are promoting 18.5” and 23” LCD TV using LED backlit monitor panels, and more brands are expected to join in 2010.

    “LEDs have significant advantages over traditional backlights, such as power consumption, slim form factor, and product differentiation,” noted Brian Chen, DisplaySearch Research Director for TFT LCD & Materials and the author of the report.

    He claims while there are still some technical concerns such as brightness performance, the LED backlight premium in the LCD monitor is much smaller than LCD TV.

    “Meanwhile, the awareness of green technology and energy savings factors in LEDs has generated consumer demand. We are seeing panel makers and also monitor brands promoting LED backlights—resulting in panel makers’ aggressive target for 22% penetration in Q3’10,” he said.

  • OKI Develops Industry’s First 1.1 Inch QVGA High Brightness LED

    OKI Digital Imaging, a subsidiary of OKI Data Corporation (a subsidiary that develops, manufactures, and markets LEDs), announced it has succeeded in developing a 1.1 inch QVGA (Quarter Video Graphics Array) LED display while reducing power consumption to one-tenth that of conventional LCDs.

    According to OKI, this achievement is the direct result of a new company technology that enhances luminance efficiency, based on refinements of its proprietary Epi Film Bonding technology that permit two-dimensional deployment.

    This new technology applies the Epi Film Bonding technology to mount thin-film LEDs onto a metal board in a manner permitting high reflection and radiation.

    “Featuring the world’s first 65-micrometer pitch between LED chips, this LED display also realizes high density to deliver high-definition images while maintaining diminutive dimensions,” the company says.

    OKI claims that since it is self-illuminating, the new display features faster response, more compact dimensions, and lower power consumption than LCD displays that require a separate light source. It also features high contrast (over 5000:1) for high visibility even in bright daylight.

    “The new technology has made it possible for us to develop a groundbreaking LED display that provides high definition images while maintaining compact dimensions,” said Hiroshi Kikuchi, President of OKI Digital Imaging.

    Ha added that the firm plans to leverage the expertise and technical knowledge accumulated over 20 years of experience with LED printing to develop new technologies in other areas and to expand its LED-related businesses.

    OKI informed they will manufacture the LED display at the newly-acquired LED manufacturing facility in Gunma prefecture, Japan. Shipments of samples are expected to begin by the end of fiscal year 2010.

  • Review: Lenovo IdeaPad U350

    The Lenovo IdeaPad U350 laptop offers computing and entertainment technology at its best.

    With the retail price starting from as little as R6 699 (~$900), the IdeaPad U350 is a must for technology lovers for its amazing range of utilities.

    The smallest IdeaPad U350 laptop is a mere 1.58kg and is less than 25mm in size, making it easy to carry around.

    The battery also has a long life span and if fully charged is unlikely to leave you frantically searching for a power source to recharge it when outdoors.

    Among the wide range of benefits of using the IdeaPad U350 is that it is fitted with a 16:9 aspect ratio high definition 13.3 inch LED panel and an HDMI connector which allows the user to watch movies or other multimedia in high definition.

    Computing technologies on the IdeaPad U350, which include Intel Core 2Solo and Pentium ultra low voltage processors, up to 8 GB high speed DDR3 memory and up to 500 GB of hard drive storage, speeds up video editing.

    The protective system of the IdeaPad U350 is also high quality as it can make the hard drive to stop if the machine is dropped and has the facility – OneKey Rescue System – to help the user recover information in the event that data is corrupted.

    Several extra features like the Ambient Light Sensor which automatically adjusts the screen’s brightness according to the lighting environment and therefore reduces eye strain, make the IdeaPad U350 all the more valuable and desirable.

    A camera also comes in handy for video messaging or making Skype calls through the laptop’s WiFi connectivity.

    IdeaPad U350 laptop is certainly a useful gadget for the working class, students and all the computer literate people out there.

    ***
    Disclaimer: this review has been possible thanks to Lenovo who has provided the unit we tested.

  • Toshiba Unveils Cell-Powered REGZA 55-inch LCD TV

    As Japan approaches the end of analogue broadcasting in 2011, the digital TV market has entered a period of diversifying customer needs.

    “In order to meet demand for more vivid reproduction of high contrast, high definition images, simultaneous viewing and recording of multiple programs, along with access to broadband content,” as they say, Toshiba just unveiled newly developed CELL REGZA TV and the CELL Platform.

    CELL REGZA 55X1 is the new flagship of the company’s REGZA line-up and will be available in the Japanese market from the beginning of December.

    The heart of CELL REGZA is Toshiba’s CELL Platform – a combination of the high speed parallel processing of the Cell Broadband Engine, specially developed for demanding multimedia applications, and Toshiba’s image-processing algorithms.

    According to the company, the CELL Platform achieves an arithmetic processing capability approximately 143 times that of the current top-of-the-line REGZA TV, allowing it to support unrivaled image-enhancing capabilities.

    It offers a dynamic contrast ratio of 5,000,000:1, and supports this with ultra-high-speed processing and recording, enhanced navigation and seamless network interactivity.

    In the new Toshiba’s TV, the eight-window multi-display is divided into 512 distinct areas, each with individually controlled lighting. Luminance is pushed to an 1250cd/m2, 2.5 times the level of typical TVs.

    The CELL REGZA consists of a slim monitor and a tuner that also integrates the 3-terabyte hard disk drive. Two terabytes of capacity are dedicated to the "time-shift machine," which can simultaneously record up to approximately 26 hours of programming for up to eight channels of digital terrestrial broadcasts.

    It combines the 120Hz scan rate of ClearScan 240 with its new Backlight Scanning technology, and now achieves 240Hz scanning. The new double backlight scanning function divides the display into 16, against eight for current REGZA models.

    Toshiba states that optimum picture quality is achieved by automatic fine tuning of multiple control settings: 1024 steps in color temperature, a 128 scale dynamic gamma range, 100 brightness settings, 32 settings each for color saturation, color sharpness, and adjustment of super resolution, plus control of the LED backlighting.

    CELL REGZA comes with the Opera-based browser with full HD support (e.g. enables displaying Youtube HD content), co-developed with Opera Software, and also supports broadband service, DNLA streaming and display of JPEG digital photographs.

  • Samsung Promises Thinnest Ever HDTV


    Samsung is to unveil a flat-panel HDTV measuring a waif-like 6.5-millimeters at this week’s Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas.

    The TV set is reported to be between 6.5mm and 7mm across its width and has an LED (light emitting diode) backlight.

    There are suggestions that the TV tuner is not actually in Samsung’s set – located instead in a base station.

    That aside, if the dimensions are confirmed it would be the thinnest LCD TV yet demonstrated.

    Currently that accolade is held by Philips, which unveiled an 8mm prototype LCD television at the IFA electronics show in Berlin last year.

    At the same event Sony showed a 9.9mm set that is already available – making it the thinnest LCD TV in retail stores.

    Samsung has a news conference for Wednesday at which the TV set is expected to take centre stage.