Eric Fossum lectures Yale students on next-gen range sensors, 3D content shortages

Ready for Kinect-like depth sensing magic in your pocket? It might be on the way, according to Eric Fossum, the man behind the CMOS sensor. During an Engineering lecture at Yale, Fossum let it slip that he was working on a new time-of-flight range sensor with Samsung, and said “we’re trying to catch up to a lot of people.” Pulling up a slide, Fossom described a 2-megapixel color sensor with a time-of-flight sensor inserted inside. “This doesn’t even get announced until February,” he said. Mentioning Sammy’s place in the 3D TV game, Fossum said that there wasn’t enough 3D content available to make 3D sets viable, “We have to enable people to be able to make 3D content before we can sell a lot of 3D TVs.” Between his lecture slides and befuddling words, Fossum suggested that cell phones equipped with 3D color image sensors could fill this content gap, calling it a “vision.” Hold tight to that word, though — Fossum wasn’t exactly crystal clear on what Sammy’s going to do with this technology, or what it’s going to announce in February. What do we know for sure? We need more 3D programming. Well, that and Samsung is going to announce something next year. Hit the break to hear the man in his own words. You can even pretend you’re a Yale student, we won’t judge.

Update: Fossum dropped by to give us a statement. “The RGBZ sensor represents the state of the art in research and development,” he says, “Technical information about this R&D advancement will be reported in February.”

[Thanks, Salem]

Continue reading Eric Fossum lectures Yale students on next-gen range sensors, 3D content shortages

Eric Fossum lectures Yale students on next-gen range sensors, 3D content shortages originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 31 Oct 2011 07:29:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Toshiba’s 4K, glasses-free 3DTV announced in Japan with more specs this time

We first saw the retail edition of Toshiba’s 3840×2160 resolution autostereoscopic (no glasses) 3DTV when it was announced in Europe at IFA last month, and now it has debuted in Japan during CEATEC. This time the company dropped a few more details, revealing that in lenticular 3D mode it’s limited to an effective resolution of 1280×720, and showed off the face tracking that automatically optimizes the experience for up to nine simultaneous viewers depending on where they’re sitting. Also mentioned were an optional THD-MBA1 input adapter due in 2012 and that 4K-res streaming IPTV is currently being tested. The Regza 55X3 will be priced comparably to its $10K~ Euro-spec counterpart when it arrives in December, but there’s still no word on when it will ship in the US. Check out a few pictures of the presentation in the gallery below.

Toshiba’s 4K, glasses-free 3DTV announced in Japan with more specs this time originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 03 Oct 2011 21:18:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Vuzix Wrap 1200VR video eyewear does 3D with head-tracking for $600, now available

If you scored yourself Vuzix’s Wrap 1200 side-by-side 3D video eyewear last month, you may want to know the company’s VR variant is now available for $600 (about 100 bones more). With the Wrap 1200VR, you’ll again be viewing a simulated 75-inch, 3D (or 2D, if you’d prefer) 16:9 display at ten feet away. The shades feature a single 852 x 480 monitor per eye and support input resolutions of up to 1280 x 720. The VR bit comes from the included Wrap Tracker 6TC with compass, which enables head-tracking with three degrees of freedom. Better yet, its coupled drift control should maintain silky smooth visuals when you’re tilting your noggin’ to scope out the on-screen action. Out of box, these specs are said to play nice with most Windows machine’s graphics cards and VGA connections, but adapters are required to rock them with your PS3 or Xbox 360. If your eyes are already tearing up with joy, you’ll find full details in the PR just past the break.

Update: We initially reported the that the Vuzix Wrap 1200VR outputs video in simulated 720p, when it actually supports input resolutions up to 1280 x 720 — both WVGA monitors have a resolution of 852 x 480. We’ve updated this post accordingly.

Continue reading Vuzix Wrap 1200VR video eyewear does 3D with head-tracking for $600, now available

Vuzix Wrap 1200VR video eyewear does 3D with head-tracking for $600, now available originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 19 Sep 2011 17:52:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Fraunhofer’s STAN: four cameras, three dimensions, no glasses

There are some glasses-free 3D TVs around, but their limited viewing angles and poor picture quality aren’t very inspiring — so Fraunhofer’s latest project is a welcome endeavor. It’s developed STAN (STereoscopic ANalyzer), a system that lets broadcasters easily use four cameras instead of the usual two, for 3D recording. 3D needs a minimum of two lenses to register depth and keeping multiple shooters in sync is tough and expensive. That’s led to the industry relying on two, which is why glasses-free (autostereoscopic) 3D TVs get such a poor picture; more cameras means more viewing angles. STAN co-ordinates the setup of the four cameras and then uses a feature detector to identify common elements in the pictures and merges them into a 3D image. Four cameras provide much more depth, which means more viewing angles, which means that if STAN gets picked up, these guys can throw away the sunglasses, even for live broadcasts.

Fraunhofer’s STAN: four cameras, three dimensions, no glasses originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 15 Sep 2011 15:46:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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ESPN’s new Monday Night Football deal includes 3D broadcasts, WatchESPN app

Just hours before the 2011 NFL season kicks off, the ESPN and the NFL announced a new eight year extension for Monday Night Football that runs from 2014 to 2021 and most notably to us, includes a provision for 3D broadcast rights. The new deal covers items from new studio programming (beginning this season) to availability of games on the WatchESPN mobile app to the Pro Bowl we still won’t watch. According to the LA Times, the pricetag for ESPN — before it’s passed on to the cable / satellite company and eventually ends up on your bill in a rate increase — is around $1.9 billion per season, up from $1.1 billion previously. While this should help quell ideas that ESPN 3D might be axed after its removal from U-verse, the bad news is it could still be a ways off, as we’re told 3D broadcasts are expected when the extension takes effect in 2014. Sadly, 3D early adopters are probably used to waiting, with unbundled retail availability of Avatar still pending for 2012, this is just one more item to add to your calendar.

Continue reading ESPN’s new Monday Night Football deal includes 3D broadcasts, WatchESPN app

ESPN’s new Monday Night Football deal includes 3D broadcasts, WatchESPN app originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 08 Sep 2011 11:05:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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LG’s 55-inch LW9800 3D HDTV earns THX certification, our home theater respect

Let’s face it. We live in a world chock full of entertainment options. With more means of accessing the visual goods, comes less reason to leave the house. Well, LG’s aiming to make the cinema experience even more passé with its 55-inch Nano Full LED Cinema LW9800 3D HDTV set. Recently shown off at CEDIA 2011, the slim, flat panel is the first passive 3D display to garner THX certification, delivering HD enthusiasts closer to true “movie experiences.” The 480Hz TV utilizes film-pattern retarder tech to optimize 3D image separation, and also includes LG’s Smart TV suite of streaming video services (Hulu Plus, Amazon Instant Video, et al.) and app store. So, if you’re ready to roll your eyes at Lucas’ latest tweaks from the comfort of your couch, get set to fork over $3,800 and join the at-home grousing.

Continue reading LG’s 55-inch LW9800 3D HDTV earns THX certification, our home theater respect

LG’s 55-inch LW9800 3D HDTV earns THX certification, our home theater respect originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 07 Sep 2011 19:35:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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The Best 3D Technology: Stick with Passive Glasses

Dr. Raymond Soneira of DisplayMate Technologies separates the best smartphone, tablet, HDTV, and multimedia displays from the worst with his Display Technology Shoot-Out series. And his newly crowned 3DTV champion might just give you some major 3D buyer’s remorse: More »

LG’s ‘Dual Play’ TVs let gamers share a single screen, different perspective

Challenging Sony’s PlayStation 3D display, LG’s new LW980T “Dual Play” TV lets Xbox users see two different views on the same screen — ditching the standard split gaming view. Spotted this week at IFA, the technology requires a pair of snazzy all-right / all-left passive specs and a compatible 3D Xbox game to get two different 2D perspectives on one TV. Compared to Sony’s $499, 24-inch active-shutter offering, the 47-inch and 55-inch passive ‘tubes are significantly larger and more expensive, rumored to retail for £1799 (or $2915) and £2499 (or $4050), respectively. According to sources, this feature will join LG’s lineup of Cinema 3D displays sometime in September — offering gaming as well as LG’s SmartTV and 3D movie support. Hey gamers, since we’re not splitting up anymore, is it safe to say we can stay “in a relationship” on Facebook?

LG’s ‘Dual Play’ TVs let gamers share a single screen, different perspective originally appeared on Engadget on Sun, 04 Sep 2011 16:21:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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LG PZ850 Pentouch Plasma TV hands-on (video)


Samsung took IFA by storm yesterday with its now-legendary “S Pen” (that Galaxy Note comes bundled), so it’s only fair that LG gets its chance in the spotlight with a pen of its own. The company’s Pentouch comes with a plasma TV in tow, and lets you do super-slick stuff to your productivity suite — you can mark up Word docs, handwrite URLs in the browser, highlight elements in your PowerPoint presentations, or even flick one of those little red balls of fluff in Angry Birds. $2,199 will net you a 3D-enabled 60-inch LG PZ850 with Pentouch TV — a non-3D model is available for $1,699, and there’s a 50-inch version as well, priced at a mere $1,099.

You’ll need to collect quite a few ingredients before you can get cookin’ here, including the TV, the pair of included pens, and a computer to pump content to your TV. If you’re planning to use the display with kids, a printer might be a good idea as well, so your little ones will have a platform to preserve all those on-screen sketched masterpieces (this thing puts coloring books to shame). Everything seemed to work as described (note: this isn’t a touchscreen, so you’ll need to use the pen), though the software did hiccup once while attempting to hand-write the Engadget URL. We see this being more of a hit for enterprise use, since there isn’t really any need to mark up photos or tap the screen to launch apps in your living room. Still thinking about taking the plunge? Jump past the break for a video walkthrough (yes, and yet another clip of Angry Birds).

Continue reading LG PZ850 Pentouch Plasma TV hands-on (video)

LG PZ850 Pentouch Plasma TV hands-on (video) originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 02 Sep 2011 09:45:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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LG goes big with stylus-equipped PenTouch plasma TVs

It’s a good time to be a stylus fan. Not only has Samsung debuted its handwriting-friendly Series 7 Slate and Galaxy Note tablets, but LG is also bringing the stylus into the living room with its new series of PenTouch plasma TVs. Available in both 50-inch and 60-inch varieties, each TV comes with a pair of Touch Pens that let you either control the TV and included software like a calendar and photo gallery, or simply draw on it to your heart’s content. As if that wasn’t enough, the top-end 60-inch model is also a 3D TV, and include one pair of active shutter glasses — it’ll run you $2,199, while the non-3D models come in at $1,699 and $1,099. Unfortunately, you’ll also have to supply your own Windows PC to take full advantage of that touch-functionality.

Continue reading LG goes big with stylus-equipped PenTouch plasma TVs

LG goes big with stylus-equipped PenTouch plasma TVs originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 01 Sep 2011 22:01:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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