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[CES 2014] A handful of 4K TVs have been unveiled at the international Consumer Electronics Show 2014, so its no surprise that Panasonic is here too with its new Life+Screen AX800 4K TV series. 65-inch and 58-inch models will be offered, which according to the company tout “Beyond Smart” features and improved picture quality in a “cutting-edge” design. Studio Master Color provides accurate color reproduction whereas a high-color-space LED backlight achieves wide color gamut that nears the level of a plasma screen. Clarity is enhanced using Local Dimming Pro, which matches backlight control and optimizes brightness level to each area.

The Panasonic Life+Screen AX800 4K TV series models also include the 4K Fine Remaster Engine which is capable of upscaling content to 4K resolution, it can even upscale webpages for optimum quality. The “Beyond Smart” brings a new user interface which builds on Panasonic’s “My Home Screen” personalization features that were unveiled last year. Navigation is now much more easier and intuitive. The Life+Screen is capable of learning user preferences and automatically recommending content based on it. The TVs also display information such as message notifications, weather forecasts and even a clock using a proximity sensor coupled with facial recognition through the built-in camera in the AX800 series. At this point in time, only the 58-inch model is available for pre-order through Panasonic’s website.

Panasonic Life+Screen AX800 4K TV Series Unveiled original content from Ubergizmo.

[CEATEC 2013] Mitsubishi has paraded their 4K LaserVue LCD TV on the CEATEC showfloor, and while there was a “No photography allowed” sign shown, it seemed that nobody bothered to enforce this particular request, so here we are with a photo of Mitsubishi’s very first attempt at a 4K LCD TV. Of course, this remains as a prototype at this point in time, where it has a release date that has yet to be decided. In order to stand out from the rest of the competition, Mitsubishi’s effort will feature a high-color, laser backlight technology in its first 4K LCD TV effort.

This 65-inch 4K LCD TV will come with a red laser light source in the backlight, while there are blue and green LEDs which will work together in order to reproduce vivid textures and colors. So far, there has been a couple of LCD TVs that comes with laser as a light source released by Mitsubishi before – a 50-inch and 39-inch Real LaserVue models, but those are not 4K capable.

Kazuhiro Kurisaki, a Deputy Director of AV Display Manufacturing Division at Mitsubishi Electric’s Kyoto Works, mentioned, “Many companies have already put 4K-compatible LCD televisions onto the market, however we have made an effort to differentiate ourselves from other companies by developing a 4K television with high-color reproducibility achieved through a laser light source plus LED light sources as its backlighting. Although we have not set down a release date, I believe we can appeal to the high level of customer satisfaction that this 4K television will offer.” Simply put, this is one of those things where you need to see for yourself to believe it, and hopefully it will be priced competitively when it is finally released.

Mitsubishi 4K LaserVue LCD TV original content from Ubergizmo.

We are well past mid-August, which is when Sharp initially estimated its new 70-inch Aquos 4K Ultra HD LED TV would begin hitting shelves. Despite the late arrival, however, something tells us folks will still be glad to have yet another choice when shopping for their next 4K television set. To make things better, Sharp’s super high-res, THX-certified Smart TV is set to be carrying a $7,499.99 MSRP here in the States, making it about $500 cheaper than when it was originally announced. Those of you interested shouldn’t have trouble finding one, as Sharp says it’ll be available at many regional and major retailers across the country.

Filed under: Home Entertainment, HD

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Source: Sharp

Sky has added yet another feather to their proverbial hat by virtue of being the first company to broadcast live 4K video to folks who live in the UK. It was as recently as October last year when Sky first experimented with Ultra HD, that is, 4k, but it was also during that corresponding time last year when Sky owned just a pair of handheld Ultra HD cameras, placing their staff on an upward learning curve. The past weekend’s Premier League clash between West Ham and Stoke saw another Sky first, where Sky officially became the first UK broadcaster to complete a live broadcast successfully.

This proved to be a fully-fledged live production, where Sky made use of multiple cameras and a full outside broadcast. Before this, UHD sports broadcasts remained under one of the following two categories – they had either been recorded and played back ‘as live’, or distributed via closed-circuit networks, so to take neither of these paths proved that real progress had just happened, and history had just been made. Ultra high resolution bone crunching tackles as well as spectacular goals and saves would make ‘the beautiful game’ all the more engrossing to fans of soccer/football, don’t you think so? [Press Release]

Sky First To Broadcast Live 4K Video In The UK original content from Ubergizmo.

4K TVs didn’t make as big of a splash as consumer electronics companies would have liked at this year’s CES. Trust us when we say it had nothing to do with the technology as 4K TVs look absolutely stunning in person. Instead, it has a lot more to do with the pricing of 4K TVs as they currently retail for thousands of dollars, which is a tad outside of most people’s budget at this point. Samsung and Sony are aware of this, and as a result, are cutting the price of their latest 4K TVs to keep them within a somewhat affordable range. (more…)

Sony, Samsung 4K TVs Receive Huge Price Cuts original content from Ubergizmo.