Hasta La Gadget!

We first saw the retail edition of Toshiba’s 3840×2160 resolution autostereoscopic (no glasses) 3DTV when it was announced in Europe at IFA last month, and now it has debuted in Japan during CEATEC. This time the company dropped a few more details, revealing that in lenticular 3D mode it’s limited to an effective resolution of 1280×720, and showed off the face tracking that automatically optimizes the experience for up to nine simultaneous viewers depending on where they’re sitting. Also mentioned were an optional THD-MBA1 input adapter due in 2012 and that 4K-res streaming IPTV is currently being tested. The Regza 55X3 will be priced comparably to its $10K~ Euro-spec counterpart when it arrives in December, but there’s still no word on when it will ship in the US. Check out a few pictures of the presentation in the gallery below.

Toshiba’s 4K, glasses-free 3DTV announced in Japan with more specs this time originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 03 Oct 2011 21:18:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink   |  Engadget Japan, Toshiba  | Email this | Comments

Just hours before the 2011 NFL season kicks off, the ESPN and the NFL announced a new eight year extension for Monday Night Football that runs from 2014 to 2021 and most notably to us, includes a provision for 3D broadcast rights. The new deal covers items from new studio programming (beginning this season) to availability of games on the WatchESPN mobile app to the Pro Bowl we still won’t watch. According to the LA Times, the pricetag for ESPN — before it’s passed on to the cable / satellite company and eventually ends up on your bill in a rate increase — is around $1.9 billion per season, up from $1.1 billion previously. While this should help quell ideas that ESPN 3D might be axed after its removal from U-verse, the bad news is it could still be a ways off, as we’re told 3D broadcasts are expected when the extension takes effect in 2014. Sadly, 3D early adopters are probably used to waiting, with unbundled retail availability of Avatar still pending for 2012, this is just one more item to add to your calendar.

Continue reading ESPN’s new Monday Night Football deal includes 3D broadcasts, WatchESPN app

ESPN’s new Monday Night Football deal includes 3D broadcasts, WatchESPN app originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 08 Sep 2011 11:05:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink   |  ESPN  | Email this | Comments

Samsung took IFA by storm yesterday with its now-legendary “S Pen” (that Galaxy Note comes bundled), so it’s only fair that LG gets its chance in the spotlight with a pen of its own. The company’s Pentouch comes with a plasma TV in tow, and lets you do super-slick stuff to your productivity suite — you can mark up Word docs, handwrite URLs in the browser, highlight elements in your PowerPoint presentations, or even flick one of those little red balls of fluff in Angry Birds. $2,199 will net you a 3D-enabled 60-inch LG PZ850 with Pentouch TV — a non-3D model is available for $1,699, and there’s a 50-inch version as well, priced at a mere $1,099.

You’ll need to collect quite a few ingredients before you can get cookin’ here, including the TV, the pair of included pens, and a computer to pump content to your TV. If you’re planning to use the display with kids, a printer might be a good idea as well, so your little ones will have a platform to preserve all those on-screen sketched masterpieces (this thing puts coloring books to shame). Everything seemed to work as described (note: this isn’t a touchscreen, so you’ll need to use the pen), though the software did hiccup once while attempting to hand-write the Engadget URL. We see this being more of a hit for enterprise use, since there isn’t really any need to mark up photos or tap the screen to launch apps in your living room. Still thinking about taking the plunge? Jump past the break for a video walkthrough (yes, and yet another clip of Angry Birds).

Continue reading LG PZ850 Pentouch Plasma TV hands-on (video)

LG PZ850 Pentouch Plasma TV hands-on (video) originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 02 Sep 2011 09:45:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink   |   | Email this | Comments

If you’ve been waiting for someone to take the glasses part out of the current 3D TV viewing experience, Toshiba has finally put a launch date on its glasses-free 3D TV. The world’s first to be available to the public at the size, the ZL2 will take its place at the top of the company’s range of sets when it launches this December in Germany (no word yet on other European countries, or anywhere else for that matter) complete with an LED-backlit QuadHD resolution (3,840 x 2,160) LCD panel and Cell-processor based CEVO engine technology within. Check out the press release after the break for more of the specs, no word yet on how much it will cost but the glasses-based 3D ZL1 it’s replacing was rocking a £4,000 price tag.

Update: We have a price, as Toshiba’s German press site currently mentions the set will cost 7,999 euros when the 55-inch version launches. We’re figuring you can afford a couple of pairs of active shutter glasses instead at that price, but at least it’s still a 4K screen, right? [Thanks, Daniel]

Continue reading Toshiba’s glasses free 3D TV launches in Europe as the ZL2 this December

Toshiba’s glasses free 3D TV launches in Europe as the ZL2 this December originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 01 Sep 2011 10:56:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink   |   | Email this | Comments

ATSC commences 3DTV standard development, better get your glasses ready originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 22 Aug 2011 22:37:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink Broadcasting & Cable  |  ATSC  | Email this | Comments