Hasta La Gadget!

Toshiba might have abandoned OLED, but that doesn’t mean the company is lacking ambition in the display-making field. Today it’s using CEATEC 2010, Japan’s biggest electronics expo, to make official that 21-inch glasses-free 3D prototype we’ve been hearing about. It’s lost an inch in becoming a retail product, with the 20GL1 offering a 20-inch diagonal, but the important multi-parallax picture transmission (employing a lenticular lens setup as used in Philips’ Dimenco) remains the same. The new set, accompanied by a smaller 12GL1 model, will be shipping in Japan this December, and if it really does what it promises, the rest of the world should not be far behind.

Update: Japan’s Impress Watch has more details for us, listing a 720p resolution for the 20-incher and a funky 466 x 350 on the 12-inch GL1. Prices are estimated at ¥240,000 ($2,885) and ¥120,000 ($1,443), respectively.

Continue reading Toshiba Regza GL1 wants you to put down the glasses, enjoy the 3D

Toshiba Regza GL1 wants you to put down the glasses, enjoy the 3D originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 04 Oct 2010 04:28:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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The Star Wars series hasn’t even hit Blu-ray yet, but The Hollywood Reporter reports sources are saying George Lucas definitely intends to refill his money pit in 2012 by bringing out the movies, one each year, in 3D. Unfortunately that means even if you’re optimistically expecting a well done 3D conversion process Episode IV is at least five years away since the plan is to release the movies in numerical order. According to the sources, even after demoing converted 3D footage of the movies in the past, Lucas was moved to greenlight the process after experiencing Avatar and realizing that by the time the movies hit theaters, and eventually homes, there will be more than enough capable screens to watch them on. Of course, all could be forgiven if this meant there were enough petty cash floating around to convince Lucas it’s time to restore and rerelease the original editions on Blu-ray, but we’re not holding our breath.

Star Wars flicks to see 3D re-release, starting with Episode 1 in 2012 originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 28 Sep 2010 22:24:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Sharp made US 3D fans very happy today by announcing the immediate availability of its new 52 and 60-inch AQUOS Quattron 3D TVs at CEDIA. The LED backlight side-mount scanning LE925 series starts at $4199 with the bigger brother going for $5299, feature two pairs of 3D glasses bundled in, a dynamic contrast ratio of 8,000,000:1 and IP control plus RS-232 for home automation fans. The Ethernet port or optional WiFi adapter can also be used to stream Netflix, VUDU or a variety of other over the top video services. What’s interesting is that Sharp is claiming its 4th color (yellow) Quattron technology offers a brighter image which can overcome the dimming, that 3D glasses are known for. Also, a first is that the 3D glasses can convert the 3D signal to 2D for that one 3D hatter in your party (not to be confused with the TV’s ability to convert 2D material to 3D). The full release with many more details after the jump.

Continue reading Sharp unveils AQUOS Quattron 3D for the States

Sharp unveils AQUOS Quattron 3D for the States originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 22 Sep 2010 21:28:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Remember that slate of drop-dead gorgeous Toshiba HDTVs that emerged at IFA? They’re back, and they’re making a beeline for a living room near you. Provided that “you” are in “the US of A,” that is. Just as we expected, Tosh has come clean with the US variants of its LED-based Cinema Series, with the flagship WX800 models (46- and 55-inches) getting 3D Resolution+ technology, 240Hz processor, inbuilt 802.11b/g/n WiFi, the company’s own Enhanced NET TV service, Yahoo! widgets (score!) and a native 1080p panel. The lower end VX700 series (again, 46- and 55-inches) is meant for those content with 2D imagery, but they still retain the connected features along with two USB ports, an SD / SDHC card slot and DLNA support. Lastly, the BDX3000 3D Blu-ray player that we’ve been holding out for finally has a ship date, and it’s soon. Within a fortnight, the aforesaid player will be out and about on US shelves for $249.99, representing a $50 premium over the 3D-less BDX2700. Check out the full list of details embedded after the break.

Continue reading Toshiba brings WX800 and VX700 HDTVs stateside, BDX3000 3D Blu-ray player this month

Toshiba brings WX800 and VX700 HDTVs stateside, BDX3000 3D Blu-ray player this month originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 15 Sep 2010 12:54:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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LG is touting its plasma PX950 as the first THX-certified 3D HDTV, and while we didn’t run into it at IFA, the company held a press gathering this week in New York to make up for it. So if this set meets THX’s rigorous demands — 400 bench tests and 1,000 data points spread out over 30 test categories — how does it look to the average consumer? Well, LG certainly has done a lot to prevent ghosting — that is, image doubling from sync issues with the glasses — and we were able to enjoy some pretty extreme horizontal viewing angles. What did bother us, however, was the 600Hz sub-field refresh rate; though not an issue with slower-moving footage (a camera-loving fish from “Under the Sea” comes to mind), any quick movement felt jarring to our vision. Can’t say for sure if it was the content or the display, but we’d like to presume LG would showcase with only the top-notch visuals. The tech is still young, but when you’re asking $200 to $300 more over the 2D equivalent (and that’s before having to pick up the requisite glasses separately), the benefit of 3D still isn’t quite as prevalent to us yet.

LG’s THX-certified PX950 3D plasma TV eyes-on originally appeared on Engadget on Sat, 11 Sep 2010 16:40:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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