Sceptre has a spanking new 50″ LCD HDTV for the masses

You can say that many of us love to own new pieces of consumer electronics whenever we can afford one. However, a lot of that depends on your bank balance, and Sceptre is definitely a name that allows you to own some of the better looking home consumer electronics without having to burst that bank account of yours. For those of you who are looking for a spanking new TV, here we are with Sceptre’s latest addition – the 50″ LCD HDTV that is said to offer a true 50” viewable area, in addition to surround sound and a slim and sleek design – which would make it the ideal centerpiece for just about any room.

Just like all the other Sceptre models which have been released in the past, this new 50″ LCD HDTV from Sceptre will come with its slew of features that are not commonly found in other HDTVs that are on the market. Among these features include SRS TruSurround HD, which is actually a technology that is capable of optimizing bass performance in order to create a vivid 3D sound experience. Apart from that, it will also come with multiple HDMI ports which makes sense in this day and age – where more and more devices come with HDMI connectivity. Apart from that, there is also a USB port that will let you easily view and access music and JPEG files, in addition to being able to swivel up to 30 degrees so that you can adjust it to any viewing angle, among others.

To make sure that your eyes are greeted by none other than crisp images, while your ears enjoy unparalled sound quality (at a budget price of course, we are not talking about audiophile level here), the Sceptre 50″ LCD HDTV was also specially designed to be as energy efficient as possible, resulting in long term cost savings for the consumer. I would say this makes plenty of sense, especially if the HDTV is your primary mode of entertainment in the living room. It does not matter if you use it to watch movies or play games on a console, the Sceptre 50″ LCD HDTV will get the job done just fine. It has an Energy Star rating that is estimated to cost you $21 each year – the lowest in its class, of course.

The asking price for 50″ of viewing goodness? We are looking at just $999.99 here – which isn’t much at all, don’t you think so?

Product Page

[ Sceptre has a spanking new 50″ LCD HDTV for the masses copyright by Coolest Gadgets ]


Corning and Samsung plan LCD glass plant in China, may toughen up a few laptop screens

Samsung Series 9 13-inch review head-on

Corning and Samsung were the best of friends well before even the Lotus Glass deal, but the relationship just got a little cozier. The two have agreed to build a plant in China’s industry-heavy Wuxi New District focused on making glass to cover LCD panels in laptops and desktop displays. The roughly $600 million factory will be a major production hub for Samsung, not just an expansion: it’s planning to stop some of its glass production in South Korea and send that work to the new facility when it opens. There won’t even be signatures on the agreement until sometime later this year, so the plant itself is still a distant prospect — but while the two haven’t outlined their exact strategy, the new plant may be the ticket to toughening up that future Series 9 laptop with a touch of Gorilla Glass.

Filed under: ,

Corning and Samsung plan LCD glass plant in China, may toughen up a few laptop screens originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 24 Jul 2012 10:15:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink   |  sourceReuters  | Email this | Comments

Nintendo 3DS XL sports less reflective screen than its predecessor, improved parallax effect

3DS XL sports less reflective screen than its predecessor, improved parallax effect

Supersized screens may be the centerpiece of Nintendo’s 3DS XL, but a new Iwata Asks interview reveals that its top display packs some new anti-glare tech too. Takashi Murakami, from the company’s Mechanical Design Group, notes that each of the LCD’s three glare-prone layers were specially treated to reduce reflectivity from the original 3DS’ 12 percent, down to three. According to head honcho Iwata, anti-reflection coatings have been on the Big N’s radar since the GameBoy Advance era, but were typically abandoned because they were too pricey. The Q&A session also confirmed something we noticed when we put the handheld through the review gauntlet — the larger display increases the parallax effect, which translates to a deeper looking 3D experience. If your current handheld’s screen bounces too much light for your liking, the XL can take its place starting August 19th in North America.

Filed under:

Nintendo 3DS XL sports less reflective screen than its predecessor, improved parallax effect originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 23 Jul 2012 04:24:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink Engadget Spanish, Joystiq  |  sourceNintendo  | Email this | Comments

LG IPS7 Series LCD IPS displays pack MHL for easy phone hookup

LG has a pair of new LED IPS displays on offer, the IPS7 Series, promising high-quality graphics using technology borrowed from the company’s big-screen TV range, though scaled to suit the average desk. The 27-inch LG IPS277L and its smaller 23-inch IPS237L sibling each eschew the mainstream TN panels common on external displays, as well as throwing in MHL-HDMI ports for easier connectivity with smartphones and tablets.

The LCDs themselves are dressed in skinny bezels, with the edges just 1.2mm thick; the monitors as a whole are 14.1mm deep, and sit on trim metallic stands. Controls are all discrete capacitive touch-buttons, and the IPS7 Series will even recharge your phone or tablet while it’s plugged in over MHL.

LG is expecting the IPS7 Series to be snapped up by graphics professionals, and so is bundling calibration software to help get the colors up to scratch. The LCDs themselves run at 1920 x 1080 resolution, with 5ms response times and 250 nit brightness; bizarrely, LG lists the contrast ratio as merely “Mega”.

Korea, China and Hong Kong will be the first to get the IPS7 Series, with pricing yet to be confirmed. Availability after that is unclear, though we’d guess LG wants to get these displays on as many desks worldwide as possible.

Cinema_Screen
USP_MHL
IPS7_Basic


LG IPS7 Series LCD IPS displays pack MHL for easy phone hookup is written by Chris Davies & originally posted on SlashGear.
© 2005 – 2012, SlashGear. All right reserved.


LG 84-inch ‘ultra definition’ 4K HDTV going on sale in limited quantities in Korea

LG 84inch 'ultra definition' 4K HDTV goes on sale in limited quantities

It looks like LG is actually going to sell that sweet 84-inch ultra-definition TV we saw at CES. With a resolution of 3,840 x 2,160 (UHDTV) it will maintain a full 1080p picture for 3D movies even with LG’s FPR Cinema 3D passive glasses technology, and also includes the standard suite of Smart TV features. Of course, the launch is quite predictable, considering there’s no way LG could let Korean rival Samsung rule the roost with its 75-inch ES9000 that’s on the way. While we’ll wait for an English language PR for all the details on the 84LM9600, native speakers can scrounge some won together and hit the source link below for more information.

Update: We’ve checked with LG and confirmed that this LCD has a price of 25 million won ($21,925 US) for anyone preordering the 84 units that will be on sale for the first month, and it has a 2.2 channel “3D sound” system. It’s only going to be available in Korea for now, so lining up outside your local big box store might be going a step or two too far, for now — that 4K content isn’t really available yet could be another reason.

Filed under: ,

LG 84-inch ‘ultra definition’ 4K HDTV going on sale in limited quantities in Korea originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 19 Jul 2012 22:21:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink   |  sourceLG Korea  | Email this | Comments

Sharp and Hydis announce LCD license agreement

There have been rumblings in the past that Hydis’ FFS LCD technology would make its way into certain tablets, and now the Korean manufacturer has signed a license agreement with Sharp that will see the two companies using each other’s technology. The agreement will allow Sharp to make use of Hydis’ Fringe Field Switching LCD technology, which is similar to IPS technology but allows for higher brightness and a superior color gamut.

The deal will allow both companies to make use of the technologies for ten years, and also guarantee a “patent peace” so that the companies can focus on making money instead of suing each other. Hydis goes on to say how its FFS technology is “superior to other similar wide viewing angle technologies in the market”, taking direct aim at IPS and PLS. Other benefits of FFS include lower power consumption and superior contrast ratios. Hydris even notes that it’s planning to bring FFS to “notebook computers and television[s].”

It’s interesting to see Sharp picking up the license to use FFS technology. Past rumors have suggested that IGZO may make an appearance in products such as the iPad, and recent reports have indicated that IGZO panels will be used for the mythical Apple Television. Sharp looks to be interested in incorporating FFS into its own panels, and if its as good as Hydis says it is, then we could be looking at future displays that are even better than what’s found in the current iPad.

[via ARM Devices]


Sharp and Hydis announce LCD license agreement is written by Ben Kersey & originally posted on SlashGear.
© 2005 – 2012, SlashGear. All right reserved.


Utah researchers create ‘Spintronic’ LED, claim it’s ‘brighter, cheaper’ and eco-friendly

Utah researchers create 'Spintronic' LED, claims its 'brighter, cheaper' and ecofriendlySpintronics? Not exactly a new term ’round these parts, but University of Utah physicists are applying it in a unique way that may eventually make TVs look even sharper than they do today. The entity is trumpeting a new “spintronic” organic light-emitting diode (that’s OLED, for short) that’s said to be “cheaper and more environmentally friendly than the kinds of LEDs now used in television and computer displays, lighting, traffic lights and numerous electronic devices.” Z. Valy Vardeny is even going so far as to call it a “completely different technology,” and better still, a prototype has already been made. The professor expects that the newfangled tech — which produces an orange glow today — will be able to product red, blue and white spin OLEDs within a few years. It’s a lot to wade through, but here’s our question: will these things make the Galaxy S XI impeccably visible in outdoor sunlight? (Please say “yes.”)

Filed under: ,

Utah researchers create ‘Spintronic’ LED, claim it’s ‘brighter, cheaper’ and eco-friendly originally appeared on Engadget on Sat, 14 Jul 2012 18:36:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink ArsTechnica  |  sourceUniversity of Utah  | Email this | Comments

Star Wars Keyboard With LCD Touchpad

The Force is strong with this $259.99 Star Wars Keyboard With LCD Touchpad, where you can do your bit in conquering the galaxy by starting off with your desktop. Sporting 10 dynamic adaptive tactile keys alongside a multi-touch full color LCD track panel that will send Star Wars fans into a frenzy, it will also help you gain a competitive edge in Star Wars: The Old Republic. Just to get a better idea on how the Star Wars Keyboard With LCD Touchpad works, its 10 dynamic adaptive tactile keys will enable you to customize all your skills, macros, and hotkeys for faster accessibility.

Sporting a multi-touch full-color LCD track-panel which you can set it up to either respond to direct gesture input or display interactive information, it is a totally new way of to experience the game like you never did before. Make sure you are able to wipe out your enemies in a jiffy as you can execute more than a single key command simultaneously, now how about that?

[ Star Wars Keyboard With LCD Touchpad copyright by Coolest Gadgets ]


LG to pay $380M in settlement of LCD price-fixing case

LG is the latest company to jump on the settlement bandwagon as part of a class action case that involved accusations of conspiring to price fix LCD displays. The company has agreed to pay $380 million–the biggest sum amongst all companies involved in the case.

Three companies collectively agreed to pay a total of $571 million to settle the case, including AU Optronics and Toshiba, paying $170 million and $21 million, respectively. Other companies involved in the case including Samsung, Sharp and Hitachi have had settlements approved.

The most recent settlement will bring the total to over $1 billion. Once approved, it will  be the largest settlement in a US price-fixing case. A previous settlement that targeted victims of price-fixed LCD panels on televisions and computers between 2001 and 2006 had resulted in a total settlement of $388 million, split between the companies that were involved.

[via Verge]


LG to pay $380M in settlement of LCD price-fixing case is written by Elise Moreau & originally posted on SlashGear.
© 2005 – 2012, SlashGear. All right reserved.


AUO, LG, Toshiba pay $571 million to settle LCD price fixing lawsuit, broken record keeps skipping

AU Optronics 71-inch 3D LCD

The way LCD price fixing lawsuits keep popping up and settling in short order, you’d think they were going out of style. The latest motley group to face a reckoning includes AU Optronics, LG and Toshiba, the combination of which has agreed to pay a total of $571 million to eight separate American states to either avoid the the legal wrath of a class action lawsuit or to pay an outstanding fine. Allegedly, the trio kept LCD prices artificially high between 1996 and 2006, hiking the prices of PCs and TVs in the process. There’s a slight twist here: while keeping the display builders honest is the primary goal, the class action status will net some direct rewards for the public. Americans who claim to have been wronged in the scandal can get “at least” $25, which goes a lot further towards buying an LCD than it did six years ago.

Filed under: ,

AUO, LG, Toshiba pay $571 million to settle LCD price fixing lawsuit, broken record keeps skipping originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 12 Jul 2012 13:55:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink   |  sourceReuters  | Email this | Comments