Hasta La Gadget!

Lytro isn’t done extending the usefulness of its light field camera just because we have manual controls. Another update due by the end of the year will take advantage of that focus-independent sensor to allow a parallax-based 3D effect in photos: invoke a ‘full’ focus in reviewing shots and you can start poking around the scene in a limited way without having ever touched a dual-sensor camera. Appropriately, we’re also getting support for examining photos on 3D monitors and TVs that emphasize the added depth. The promised features come hand-in-hand with Lytro’s immediate availability in Hong Kong, where 8GB blue and gray cameras are selling for $3,888 HKD ($502 US) and the 16GB red model goes for $4,688 HKD ($605). Check out our Chinese crew’s eyes-on look at the parallax effect in a video after the break.

Continue reading Lytro camera getting parallax effect and 3D display support, lands in Hong Kong (video)

Filed under: Cameras

Lytro camera getting parallax effect and 3D display support, lands in Hong Kong (video) originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 18 Oct 2012 17:59:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Every TV maker trying to avoid total commoditization has a special trick to keep its designs unique and worth a higher price. For JVC, that trick is sound. It’s launching the BlackSapphire line of LCD-based 3D TVs with the 55-inch, edge LED-lit JLE55SP4400, whose signature is an unusually powerful built-in audio system: the 45W system and 3D processing supposedly produces surround sound without having to line the living room with extra speakers. Odds are that the set won’t provide much competition for dedicated speakers, although JVC is promising more integration beyond this with rare built-in SlingPlayer TV streaming, just in case there’s a Slingbox in another part of the home. The all-in strategy could make the inaugural BlackSapphire more of a bargain than it looks: that $1,300 you’ll pay when the screen ships this month might be all you need to start watching.

Continue reading JVC intros 55-inch BlackSapphire LCD TV with 45W virtual surround sound, SlingPlayer

Filed under: Home Entertainment, HD

JVC intros 55-inch BlackSapphire LCD TV with 45W virtual surround sound, SlingPlayer originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 18 Oct 2012 12:47:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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How many times have you seen Star Wars? I know, I can’t count that high either. Well, here’s your chance to get up close and personal with a TIE Fighter. You can view an amazingly detailed model of Darth Vader’s TIE Fighter in your WebGL-compatible browser. As long as you aren’t using Internet Explorer you should be fine. (IE users can try this plug-in.)

It is a complete 3D mockup of Vader’s ship – minus The Dark Lord himself. Feel free to spin and zoom to check out every minute detail. Just use the mouse, left-click and drag to rotate. The right-click and drag will pan the view. The mouse wheel zooms in and out. This is the closest you will ever get to standing next to (or inside of) an actual TIE Fighter.

The model was uploaded to the Sketchfab site by user Trigrou. Sketchfab is a service that lets you host and explore 3D objects in several formats. Thanks to WebGL and HTML5, you don’t need any plugins to view it. Pretty awesome, I say.

[via Geek]

3D and cards. Now those are two things you normally wouldn’t associate with each other, much less use in the same sentence. But that’s what Rocca managed to do with their card game which recently won at the 2012 Good Design Awards.

These tiny hexagonal decks were created by a game designer and a graphic designer after they met board game designer Alex Randolph. The name ‘Rocca’ came from the Japanese word rokkaku, which translates to ‘hexagon’ in Japanese.

You can play typical card games like poker and gin rummy with these cards or play a couple of rounds of the new card game that the Rocca designers came up with. Full instructions come with each deck, so no need to worry about getting lost while at play. They’re also great for making paper robots, as shown above.

The Rocca 3D card decks are available from ahalife for $28 (USD).

[via Spoon & Tamago]

Although these have been accomplished by two different branch entities, there’s no doubt the folks over at Disney are in a deal-making mood as of late. Having recently announced a deal bringing new content to Cablevision subscribers, Disney has also partnered up with LG to bring an array of 3D films over to its Smart TV platform — so long as the units are 3D-ready and you are in the US, of course. This means movies from studios such as Disney Pixar, Walt Disney Pictures, Marvel and Touchstone Pictures will available to rent in three-dee directly from LG’s 3D World, including The Avengers, Toy Story, Alice in Wonderland and, later next year, Finding Nemo. Better yet, LG’s currently offering a deal which hands you $50 in credit (which expires December 31st) to spend on 3D rentals — naturally, however, you’ll have to shell out some cash on one of its qualifying TVs in order to take advantage of this promo. To learn more about that, check out the press release after the break.

Continue reading LG’s Smart TV platform starts renting out Disney 3D movies, offers new buyers $50 worth

Filed under: Misc, Home Entertainment, HD, LG

LG’s Smart TV platform starts renting out Disney 3D movies, offers new buyers $50 worth originally appeared on Engadget on Sat, 06 Oct 2012 03:56:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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