Samsungs 750 and 950 3D LED monitors do a whole lot, won’t give us a price

We reported on Samsung’s new line of 3D-enabled LED monitors just before the CES tsunami hit, but it seems the specs got lost in the commotion. So here’s what we know about the new 750 series and the asymmetrical 950 series: they’ll come in both 23- and 27-inch sizes with 1080p resolution, two-millisecond response time, 1000:1 contrast ratio, and D-sub, HDMI, DisplayPort, and DVI-DualLink connectivity — and they can all be ordered with a TV tuner for hybrid HDTV / monitor operation. They all do 3D for gaming, TV, films, and user-generated content, and the hybrid 750s and all the 950s can do 2D-to-3D conversion from PCs, Blu-ray players, gaming consoles, and set-top boxes. We know what you’re thinking: “How much?” Well, we’d like to know the same thing. The whole line hits stores in March, but Samsung has yet to set a price.

Continue reading Samsungs 750 and 950 3D LED monitors do a whole lot, won’t give us a price

Samsungs 750 and 950 3D LED monitors do a whole lot, won’t give us a price originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 25 Jan 2011 03:14:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Japan loves its 3D: more than half of all Blu-ray recorders sold last month had 3D, 3DTVs popular too

Finally, we find a market that is truly enthusiastic about 3D. Tokyo-based researchers BCN, cited by CrunchGear, report that a cool 57 percent of all Blu-ray recorders sold in Japan last month had 3D playback functionality built in, while 23 percent of all 40-inch-plus TVs sold had the ability to relay stereoscopic imagery. Both those numbers are major leaps in popularity within the nation itself and also easily dwarf penetration rates for 3D hardware in other parts of the world. 3D has apparently grown a lot more affordable in Japan, but lest you think these data are just a symptom of people upgrading their equipment without regard to its third-dimension skills, word is that there’s still a chunky 30 percent premium associated with adding 3D to your BR recorder purchase. So, it would seem the trendsetting Japanese are leading from the front on this one — awkward, unstylish glasses be damned!

Japan loves its 3D: more than half of all Blu-ray recorders sold last month had 3D, 3DTVs popular too originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 17 Jan 2011 06:09:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Italy’s Mediaset sends 3D content over terrestrial connection, isn’t actually broadcasting 3D TV

While Mediaset appears to be (one of) the first to convey 3D content over a terrestrial connection, it isn’t actually serving up any 3D television — it is “datacasting” or ever-so-slowly downloading 3D movies to a set-top box, which you may later consume directly from the hard disk that received them. The innovation here is in the utilization of spare airwaves to basically trickle a movie into your Motive Bestv STB — we know, it’s an irrelevancy to most of you cable- and internet-connected media mavens, but it’s one way to deliver 3D content to less technologically developed nations. Motive is already in talks with companies in Latin America, Eastern Europe and Turkey about doing the same, but Italy gets the honor of being first with a choice of 50 3D titles on Mediaset’s 3VOD service. Let’s see what the Azzurri think of it, eh?

Italy’s Mediaset sends 3D content over terrestrial connection, isn’t actually broadcasting 3D TV originally appeared on Engadget on Sun, 16 Jan 2011 23:59:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Stream TV Elocity 3T glasses-free TV eyes-on

There’s been no shortage of glasses-free 3D at CES but we can’t say we expected Stream TV, makers of those Elocity tablets, to be showing off wares of its own. While the company is promising lots of spectacle-free TVs with parallax screens in the next year, at its booth there was just a 42-inch 1080p 3T1 panel on the show floor. We’ve got mixed feelings about this one; as you can see in the gallery below, the display looks very grainy and the converted HD 2D-to-3D content, while it did look three dimensional (as much as you can say), it didn’t appear to be high definition by any means. However, there was one nature clip that was apparently shot in 3D, which looked incredibly crisp. Yeah, it was almost like we were watching that waterfall from a helicopter overheard. We can’t say the three-dee experience is as jaw-dropping as the one provided with active shutter glasses, but it is impressive to think you don’t have to wear a piece of $100 technology on your face to get images jumping into your living room. Viewing angles were actually pretty impressive — at least in comparison to the other glasses-free 3D displays we’ve seen — and tilting our head slightly didn’t throw off the 3D effect too much. Steam TV is planning to release the 3T1 in May along with a 52-inch version and then 56- and 60-inch versions in September — that will have ’em beating Toshiba to market, but we’re not quite sure in quality.

Stream TV Elocity 3T glasses-free TV eyes-on originally appeared on Engadget on Sun, 09 Jan 2011 21:29:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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JVC shows off prototype 50-inch 21:9 full HD 3D TV, says it could hit US later this year

When the Philips’ 56-inch 21:9 3D TV was released in Europe with no US ship date in sight, darkness fell over our home theater world. Then, Vizio announced its own 21:9 3D TV and we knew it was all going to be ok. They say when it rains it pours though, and now it’s looking like JVC will release its own 50-inch 21:9 full HD 3D TV in the US sometime in the third quarter of 2011. Other details are scarce, but JVC’s talkative CES booth attendant also mentioned the TV might be sold in varying sizes and might feature internet connectivity. The possibility of internet connectivity was also supported by a few screens teasing an integrated information bar, which appeared on the left-hand side of the screen without blocking HD content. Needless to say, we’ll be keeping a close eye on this TV as more news emerges, and in the meantime bide our time dreaming of the ultra-wide CinemaScope-style movies we could be viewing in late 2011. Oh and if you’re curious that’s JVC’s newly-announced TH-BC3 soundbar positioned right below it carrying a sweet paper iPhone 4.

JVC shows off prototype 50-inch 21:9 full HD 3D TV, says it could hit US later this year originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 07 Jan 2011 22:02:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Freescale Semiconductor and RealD working to improve active shutter 3D

Passive 3D seems to be the new home entertainment hotness at CES this year, but that doesn’t mean the industry has given up on active shutter. Case in point, Freescale Semiconductor and RealD have announced they’re developing an “enhanced 3D active eyewear solution” that combines Freescale’s RF4CE platform for the over-the-air 3D synchronization with RealD’s switching, filtering, and optical technology. Powered by Freescale’s MC1323x System on a Chip, the new system hopes to eliminate many the problems plaguing IR-based active shutter like line-of-sight and of field-of-vision limitations. It should also allow 3D glasses to operate from longer distances, and since it takes advantage of the same radio frequency used by remotes, it could lower overall costs for manufacturers to boot. Keep in mind though that unlike NVIDIA’s RF-based 3D Vision Pro Tech, all of these wondrous promises are just talk with no walk — so we’ll throttle our excitement until we can go eyes-on with some actual gear. For all the details hit up the PR after the break.

Continue reading Freescale Semiconductor and RealD working to improve active shutter 3D

Freescale Semiconductor and RealD working to improve active shutter 3D originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 07 Jan 2011 19:02:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Vizio CES hands-on with ultrawidescreen TV, passive 3DTV, OnLive and Android clock radios

Predictably, as the leader in North American LCD sales, Vizio’s booth was absolutely filled with LCD HDTVs, including the slew of displays announced this week during CES. We got some hands-on time with the OnLive implementation Vizio’s bringing to its VIA Plus (read: Google TV) as well as the Versus single screen head-to-head gaming setup — which you can check out on Joystiq — a quick look at new soundbars with wireless subwoofers, new headphones and even an interesting Android-powered clock radio with integrated iPod dock, but our biggest question was if the new Theater 3D tech based on LG’s FPR passive 3D screens was ready for prime time. Check out a few more pics in the gallery and our impressions after the break.

Continue reading Vizio CES hands-on with ultrawidescreen TV, passive 3DTV, OnLive and Android clock radios

Vizio CES hands-on with ultrawidescreen TV, passive 3DTV, OnLive and Android clock radios originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 07 Jan 2011 17:46:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Hands-on with the new Panasonic 3D camcorder and 3D still camera

Panasonic 3D camcorder

Well we actually weren’t able to play with the latest consumer Panasonic 3D camcorders ourselves, but we were able to get close enough to snap some pics and live vicariously through a stage model who did actually get to hold it. There’s nothing small about the HDC-TM90, but it looks cool enough. The GF2 still camera is just as crazy looking and is sure to get you just as much attention if you walked about town with one.

Hands-on with the new Panasonic 3D camcorder and 3D still camera originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 06 Jan 2011 01:05:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Sony’s 2011 Bravia lineup includes 27 new HDTVs

Sony Bravia 3DTV

The 2011 lineup of Sony Bravia HDTVs is quite extensive with a total fo 27 models spanning nine lines. All but the five most inexpensive models feature internet streaming services while 16 of the higher end models being 3D capable. Most of the great streaming services we’ve come to expect are there, but in addition you can now watch Time Warner Cable VOD without a set-top-box as well. A few of the lines are compatible with a special Sony 720p camera (CMU-BR100) for use with Skype, while others feature Gorilla Glass. The XBR-HX929 Series sits at the top with a new local dimming technology called Intelligent Peak LED Backlight, and is also one of the lines that supports the new Media Remote application for iPhone, iPod Touch or Android, which includes full remote capabilities as well as a keyboard. The 929s will be available in April in 46, 55 and 65-inches, with the others hitting the street sometime between February and May.

Continue reading Sony’s 2011 Bravia lineup includes 27 new HDTVs

Sony’s 2011 Bravia lineup includes 27 new HDTVs originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 05 Jan 2011 21:40:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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LG’s CES 2011 HD lineup: SmartTV platform, network Blu-ray players and HDTVs

Thanks to a couple of carefully planned slips over in South Korea, hardly anything about LG’s CES 2011 is apt to take you fully by surprise. But if you just so happened to disconnect over the holidays, we’ll break it all down below to ensure you remain firmly in the loop.

  • For starters, the outfit seems pretty darn proud of its new SmartTV platform. Hinted at last month, this system enables HDTVs, Blu-ray players and other sources to access all sorts of streaming media, apps and even provides users with a way to surf the web. Four main sections are given — TV Live, Premium Content, TV Apps and a Launch Bar — and for TV models, owners will control things with a wave of the hand (read: Magic Remote). SmartTV picks up where NetCast left off, offering access to Vudu, Netflix, YouTube, CinemaNow, Hulu Plus, Amazon Video on Demand, NHL Gamecenter, NBA Game Live and MLB.tv. This here functionality is baked into quite a few of the outfit’s 2011 HDTVs, but should own an older model…
  • Then there’s the all-new SmartTV upgrader! The ST600 is a minuscule set-top box that aims to transform any TV into a SmartTV. So long as your set has an HDMI input, you’ll be able to access the content mentioned above. But, of course, it’s on you to source your own Magic Remote.
  • If it’s an all-new TV you’re after, the company is also revealing its 2011 LED and LCD HDTV line. Nary a one is different than those we heard about last week, but at least you can now rest easy knowing that the LW9500 and LW7700 Nano Full HD 3D models will indeed see a stateside release this month. The best news here is the use of polarizing glasses — none of that headache-inducing active shutter mess. There are 13 new LED LCD models in all, with nine of ’em shipping with the SmartTV platform embedded. Unfortunately, LG’s not dishing out pricing information on these bad boys just yet.
  • Not so keen on picking up an LCD? Plasma still lives, you know! LG’s rolling out its 1080p Infinia PZ950 and PZ750 lines here at CES, with both available in 50-inch and 60-inch class sizes. Both lines come equipped with the SmartTV platform, a gesture-based Magic Motion remote andl as a free Android / iPhone app if you’d rather use your phone as a remote. The 50- / 60-inch PZ550 is saddling with NetCast 1.0, but it — along with the PW350, PZ950 and PZ750 lines — can handle 3D imagery. Sadly, LG’s also straying from providing pricing details on these.
  • Wrapping things up, the company is debuting its 2011 line of networked Blu-ray players and home theater systems. The BD690 supports 3D BD playback and ships with an inbuilt 250GB HDD and the SmartTV platform. The majority of LG’s line also includes WiFi, DLNA streaming support and a MusicID feature by Gracenote that enables consumers to play a song from a movie of TV show by mashing a single button on the remote. The BD670, BD650, BD640, BD630 and BD650 are also seeing the light of day, with the latter being LG’s first portable BD deck.
  • Finally, LG snuck in an image (seen above) of a 3D mobile TV prototype. We’ve no details whatsoever to go on, but you can rest assured we’ll be scouring the show floor in search of just that.

For more information on all of the goods here, head on past the break for the full releases. Don’t expect to find any pricing information, though.

Continue reading LG’s CES 2011 HD lineup: SmartTV platform, network Blu-ray players and HDTVs

LG’s CES 2011 HD lineup: SmartTV platform, network Blu-ray players and HDTVs originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 05 Jan 2011 11:01:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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