As the Xbox One was revealed by Microsoft this week, so too did Bonnie Ross from 343 Industries take the stage to discuss one of the platform’s mainstays: Halo. As the Xbox One is being pushed as an All In One system for home entertainment, Microsoft is bringing Halo forward as an interactive live-action television
Today, May 21, Sharp introduced 2 models of 4K compliant LCD TVs: AQUOS UD1 – 70 inch and AQUOS UD1 – 60 inch. The 70 inch will be released on June 15, the 60 inch will be released on August 10.
We attended their product presentation announcement (new LCD TV model press conference) held in Seavans Building in Minato ward in Tokyo and were able to review the 70 inch model.
Sharp said that the AQUOS UD1 models overcome 3 of the issues that the company considers to be the biggest impediments to great big-screen TV viewing:
1) Pixel roughness issue (The bigger the screen becomes, the rougher the pixels get)
2) Light reflection issue (The bigger the screen becomes, the more that light reflection will become a factor)
3) Installation space issue (The bigger the screen becomes, the more space it will occupy)
Solving the pixel roughness issue is the built-in “4K Moth Eye Panel”, which includes the “4K LCD panel” that has 4 times higher definition than Full HD. We saw an absolute crispness to the picture that made it feel like any detail could be shown well.
Solving the light reflection issue, is the “Moth Eye panel” part of the “4K Moth Eye Panel”. This greatly reduces reflection of outside light or other ambient light in the room. It applies the actual structure of a moth’s eyes to the panel technology. Their optical control technology made it possible to create a beautiful panel that looks uniform in lightness. We saw a demonstration of this with a crystal wine class behind a “Moth Eye panel” and another wine glass behind the normal glass used. The amount of reflection and glare that was cut with the “Moth Eye panel” was impressive.
Regarding the installation space issue, with thinner screen margins and a compact design, the amount of space this TV occupies is actually less than that of much smaller screen-size flat screen TVs from a few years ago. For example, the 57 inch LCD TV released in December, 2005 is 165.2cm wide, while the new 70 inch AQUOS UD1 series model is only 157.8cm wide.
Also, the “AQUOS UD1″ series has “AQUOS 4K-Master Engine Pro” that converts non-4K contents to 4K contents. It also has a “2.1ch front sound audio system” built-in, DuoBass woofer, SD card slot, 400MB internal memory, and so on.
The 70 inch model (LC-70UD1) has received the official “THX 4K Display Certification” which proves its recognition for HD display high image quality. Sharp is applying for certification for the 60 inch model as well.
In side-by-side comparisons between the AQUOS UD1 and recent 2K models, the difference in the picture was very apparent. While recent models could be described as bold and vibrant, the AQUOS UD1 was more life-like, and very natural – Perhaps less bold, but better and another step closer to that “just like you’re there” feeling.
Following the release of its ultra high-end model “ICC PURIOS” in February, 2013, the “AQUOS UD1″ series is Sharp’s second 4K TV release. It is targeted for family use and the price setting is much less inexpensive than “ICC PURIOS”.
The estimate price for the “AQUOS UD1″ series is 850,000 yen for the 70 inch model and 650,000 yen for the 60 inch model.
In 2013, the number of 4K TVs expected to be sold in Japan is estimated to be 50,000 units and SHARP is trying to take 20-30% of this amount.
– 70 inch model (LC-70UD1)
Release date: June 15
Size: 157.8 x 11.4 x 95.0 cm
Weight: 47.5 kg
Receivable channels: Digital terrestrial broadcasting 011ch – 528ch, BS digital 001 – 999ch, CS digital 000 – 999ch
– 60 inch model (LC-60UD1)
Release date: August 10
Size: TBD
Weight: TBD
Receivable channels: Digital terrestrial broadcasting 011ch – 528ch, BS digital 001 – 999ch, CS digital 000 – 999ch
While we’ve already heard some details of Disney’s future plans with the Star Wars franchise, the company has announced its next Star Wars project, called Star Wars Rebels. It will be a cartoon series that will air on the Disney Channel, and as you’d expect, this show will be aimed at the younger audiences, but we wouldn’t be surprised if the older-generation Star Wars fans also enjoyed the show.
As for details about the new show, they’re slightly limited, but we’ve been given a good idea on what to expect overall. The series will take place in an era between Episode III and Episode IV, and Dave Filoni is hopping on board as executive producer, who is the same person behind the The Clone Wars series, and it seems he’ll be bringing a lot of the original Clone Wars staff on board as well.
The show will also be based on concept art from the late Ralph McQuarrie, who designed the original Star Wars trilogy, the original Battlestar Galactica television series, and the ET movie. A one-hour pilot episode is already in production and is set to air in the fall of 2014 on the Disney Channel, with further episodes airing on Disney XD.
There’s no word on which characters will make an appearance, and what the plot will be exactly, but we can probably expect appearances of Luke Skywalker and Princess Leia, possibly showcasing the years that come after their separation at birth, but before their reunion on the Death Star, although we could also see more storylines appear throughout the show.
Of course, we still have over a year and a half until this show premieres, so we’ll most likely get more details in the future, but we’re interested in seeing what the art style will end up being, and if any popular names will show up to do the voice acting for the show. Plus, this is Disney’s second movie/TV project, and we would be surprised if we didn’t hear about more in the near future.
VIA: io9
Star Wars Rebels cartoon series coming fall 2014 is written by Craig Lloyd & originally posted on SlashGear.
© 2005 – 2012, SlashGear. All right reserved.
To understand Jash, you need to know what the YouTube Channel Initiative
is all about. Funded by Google with the specific goal of bringing
innovative content to YouTube, it’s a 100 million dollar program that
kickstarted Google TV’s entree into original programming.
It’s been rumored for a couple months that ABC would be releasing a live-streaming mobile app where users could watch live television on their mobile devices, and it seems that ABC is coming through with such an app. The television network launched Watch ABC for iOS today, and it’s aiming to change how viewers watch TV, as well as attempting to get Aereo off their back.
The app is essentially a re-launch and re-branding of the network’s older ABC Player app, but Watch ABC can still playback TV shows on demand, as well as stream live television. This makes ABC the first major broadcast television network to offer their own live TV streaming option in the US. However, the app only works in New York City and Philadelphia, but more cities are expected be added throughout the year.
With Aereo, you don’t need a cable subscription to watch live television, but the Watch ABC will require one by July 1. The app is currently open to anyone for the next few weeks, but ABC will soon require a cable subscription in order to have the ability to watch live ABC shows. You’ll need either a Comcast, Cablevision, Cox, AT&T U-Verse, Charter, or Midcontinent subscription.
After July 1, ABC plans to expand the app’s availability to more big cities like Los Angeles, Chicago, San Francisco, Houston, Raleigh-Durham, and Fresno. We’re guessing the app will exit its preview version and will be released in full on that date, but specifics are yet to be revealed on exactly what the plan is for Watch ABC.
As for the app being a viable competitor to Aereo, the effort is certainly there, but it’ll most likely be no cigar for ABC, and Aereo still includes some advantages over ABC’s live streaming options. Aereo doesn’t require a cable subscription to use, although you’ll have to pony up $8 per month in order to use Aereo, while ABC’s app is free. Watch ABC also doesn’t have DVR functionality, which may be an instant turn-off for some users. Overall, ABC is trying to offer something that’s cool and useful, but there’s simply too many restrictions still that is holding the network back.
SOURCE: iTunes App Store
Watch ABC app for iOS aims to fight back Aereo is written by Craig Lloyd & originally posted on SlashGear.
© 2005 – 2012, SlashGear. All right reserved.
Aereo is planning to expand its streaming television service to a third city come next month. Atlanta residents will get the opportunity to take advantage of Aereo’s streaming broadcast TV plans starting on June 17. This comes after Aereo launched in New York, as well as the scheduled launch in Boston, which is set to take happen tomorrow.
Today’s announcement for expansion comes after Aereo recently unveiled new streamlined plans for its service, which would get rid of daily and annual plans in favor of two simple monthly plans. $8 per month would land you 20 hours of DVR storage space, while $12 per month will give you 60 hours of DVR space, which is 20 hours more than the previous $12 plan.
Aereo has been the center of a controversy since the launch of its streaming service. The company has been drawing criticism since users don’t need a cable subscription to watch broadcast television, as they can watch television on their mobile devices using Aereo’s service, which takes broadcast antenna signals and converts them into internet signals that the streaming app can digest.
Needless to say, Aereo has been sued multiple times by television networks, and the company already won in appeals court once. Plus, the lawsuits aren’t stopping the company from expanding its service to more cities. Aereo will launch service in Boston tomorrow, with Atlanta coming roughly a month later. The company plans to expand to 22 more cities in 2013, including Miami, Austin, Chicago, Dallas, Houston, Washington DC, Baltimore, Detroit, Denver, Minneapolis, Philadelphia, Pittsburgh, Tampa, Cleveland, and Kansas City. Those are just some of cities that are planned to get the new service, with more to come in the future if the lawsuits don’t take down the company first.
Aereo has taken some heat from networks ever since the launch of its streaming television service over a year ago. Both CBS and News Corp. (owner of FOX) have taken aggressive steps in order to get Aereo banned, calling the company’s actions illegal, since they’re supposedly stealing broadcast antenna signals and using them for their own gain financially. It’s a sticky situation, indeed, and we’re not sure how much longer Aereo will be able to stay up, but if the courts are in favor of Aereo, broadcasts networks will need to think of a new strategy to retain viewers.
Aereo coming to Atlanta next month is written by Craig Lloyd & originally posted on SlashGear.
© 2005 – 2012, SlashGear. All right reserved.
Twitter would really, really like to make ad-driven TV experiences central parts of its service, and it just confirmed that laser-like focus through an expanded deal with ESPN. The sports broadcaster will soon show in-tweet video highlights of football, soccer and the X Games; Twitter, in turn, gets a guaranteed volume of promoted tweets to parallel ads inside the videos themselves. While we’re not looking forward to the new marketing pitches when they surface in the year ahead, we’ll be happy if we can catch more replays without losing our place in the social stream.
Filed under: Cellphones, Home Entertainment, HD
Source: Wall Street Journal
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