Hasta La Gadget!

It wouldn’t be CES without Stream TV showing off more interesting glasses-free 3D technology and then launching, um, nothing into the wide market. Hopefully that won’t happen this time, now that the company has paired with OEM panel-makers Pegatron and Hisense, and is now showing off its technology in UltraHD 4k. It has a proprietary system for encoding 2D and 3D video using occlusion, which is delivered to standard panels that have been retrofitted with its optical glass sandwich to bring the spec-less 3D illusion to viewers. This year, it added all-new algorithms that can handle native UHDTV content or up-res HD to 4k, both in non-realtime for quality, or realtime to convert standard 2D TV to 3D on-the-fly.

The 3D viewing experience seems better than previous iterations to our eyes, and Stream TV explained that the improved resolution was due to the company’s software filling in pixels on standard HD content to make up the deficit to 4k. The stereoscopic level (which can be adjusted) also seemed decent even if you move around the room, though still not nearly as good as passive or active 3D with glasses. It does trump passive tech in one area though, as there’s no drop in the screen’s brightness that normally happens when you don specs. All the content we viewed was HD that had been converted to 4k, unfortunately, so we couldn’t judge how higher resolution, glasses-free 3D images would look at that res. As far as the real-time encoded live TV content, the resolution looked fine but the stereoscopic illusion was a little, well, flat — as if layers of 2D objects were placed at varying distances.

Though Stream TV has created some neat technology, we’ve heard this entire song and dance before — a few times — and have yet to see products actually arrive in any volume to the marketplace. The company expects panels with its technology to start shipping sometime this year with comparable prices to other glasses-free 3D tech, but until it actually happens, don’t hold your breath. Check the gallery below and video after the break, in plain old 2D, of course.

Continue reading Stream TV glasses-free 4K 3D eyes-on (video)

Filed under: Home Entertainment

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If you’ve ever seen an OLED TV, you’d you’d remember it. Same can be said about 4k. Combine the two together and you truly have a sight to see — which is exactly what Sony has done. Of course it is very difficult to judge picture quality when a TV is on a stage vs in your living room. That doesn’t mean we aren’t impressed and it doesn’t mean we won’t be looking forward to the day we can see our favorite content on it in the comfort of our own home — assuming of course, that one is affordable in our lifetime.

Filed under: Displays, Home Entertainment, HD, Sony

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Just as we expected, 4K TVs are all the rage here at CES 2013 and naturally Vizio won’t be left out. Among its 2013 lineup of LCD HDTVs is a new top of the line XVT-Series of Ultra HDTVs at 55-, 65- and 70-inches. The XVT551d, 651d and 701D don’t have much in the way of prices or release dates, but the company claims it will “bring the expensive new technology to mainstream consumers.” In the more accessible realm however are its M-Series displays, which will for the first time this year offer a universal backlit remote connected by WiFi Direct. Thanks to its connected remote, Vizio claims it will be able to control the entire home theater without the usual nagging setup process.

There are two M-Series lineups, the one with Theater 3D ranges in size from 50-inches to 80-inches, and in price from $849 to $4,499, while the models without max out at 47-inches and $699. Check below for a press release with all of the prices and specs plus a shot of that remote, although all we know about a release is that they’ll be arriving “later this year.”

Continue reading Vizio unveils 2013 HDTV lineup, upcoming XVT Ultra HDTVs promise 4K for the mainstream

Filed under: Displays, Home Entertainment, HD

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Westinghouse has yet to become the premium HDTV manufacturer it one day hopes to be, and if the past is any indication, flooding the market with low-cost sets won’t drive you to the top. But the promise of high resolution might at least yield a modest bump. The company’s 2013 lineup is set to be dominated by 4K models, each packing 3840 x 2160-pixel panels for an “amazing” and “affordable” experience. The company’s flagship rings in at a massive 110 diagonal inches and will be available for custom order beginning sometime in Q1. 50, 55 and 65-inch versions will also ship within the same timeframe, offering the same resolution and a modest 120Hz native refresh rate. We’re still waiting to hear back on pricing and a hint of where you might be able to pick one of these UHDTVs up beginning early next year, but if the press release after the break is any indication, we’re about to be inundated with high-res, low-cost televisions at next month’s CES.

Continue reading Westinghouse 110-inch 4K TV to ship alongside 65, 55 and 50-inch models in Q1

Filed under: Displays, Home Entertainment, HD

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If there’s $25,000 or so burning a hole in your pocket and room in your living room for Sony’s 84-inch XBR-84X900 Ultra HDTV, but you’re worried about a lack of 4K res content to play on it, allow us to put your mind at ease. Sony’s Ray Hartjen has picked up the blogging pen and revealed each of the supersized sets will ship with “the world’s first 4K Ultra HD delivery solution, complete with pre-loaded, native 4K entertainment.” There’s no specifics on what the pack-in content will be (or what form the “delivery system” will take), but he says it will include full length feature Hollywood productions exclusive to purchasers, probably courtesy of Sony Pictures. We’re told to expect more details after Turkey day, so stay tuned.

Filed under: Displays, Home Entertainment, HD, Sony

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Source: The Sony Blog