Hasta La Gadget!

JVC first brought 4K home with its $175k DLA-RS4000 and now it’s back with four new models with greater than HD resolution at much easier to swallow prices. You’ll note the term used is “with 4K precision”, because strictly speaking these don’t project over 4,000 pixels of horizontal resolution, coming in at a still impressive 3,840 x 2,160 resolution. While this is still about four times the number of a standard HD image, it’s less than say, Sony’s VPL-VW1000ES. Filling in the difference is JVC’s e-Shift technology, which was originally developed for its 8K projector. It works by creating two 1080p frames, with one shifted down diagonally and alternated at 120Hz to create the effect.

The scheme is not far off from the old wobulation technology featured in some “1080p” DLPs once upon a time, but this time there are no moving parts as it’s all being done electronically. Shown off with an HD resolution source the upscaled image was still impressively sharp to us, even up close, while it also handles native 4K feed. While JVC may not be winning on raw pixel count, what it does have is a serious price advantage. Sony indicated its hardware would be available for “less than $25,000” but the top of the line JVC has an MSRP of just $12k, while the cheaper model will be $7,999 when they all ship in November. Check out the press release after the break and images in the gallery for details, including those so rarely seen native contrast ratio measurements.

Continue reading JVC shows off projectors with 4K precision, but not quite 4K pixels

JVC shows off projectors with 4K precision, but not quite 4K pixels originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 08 Sep 2011 18:50:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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A triumvirate of television titans — LG, Sharp and Philips — are joining forces to create a development kit, defining a common standard for their Smart TV apps. The power play addresses the problem of fragmentation, since developers will only need to make one version of an app for it to work across all three of the ‘tubes operating systems. Based on open standards like HTML5, CE-HTML and HbbTV, developers should get their hands on a beta version by early October, with the finalized version due by the end of the year. The better question now is whether the Romanesque trio can drum up enough developer support to beat out competitors in an app-tastic coup d’etat, or if the likes of Vizio, Sony and Samsung will eventually join in. Needless to say, we’ll be digging for more at CEDIA later this month.

Continue reading LG, Sharp and Philips to build developer’s kit, create Smart TV app standard

LG, Sharp and Philips to build developer’s kit, create Smart TV app standard originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 07 Sep 2011 09:34:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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This week’s Labor Day podcast is here, squeezed between IFA last week and CEDIA this week. Of course, all those balls in the air gave us plenty to talk about, not the least of which included definitive word on the status of Media Center in Windows 8. DirecTV’s new UI in testing and latest channel addition also made for interesting discussion as well as expansions internationally by Hulu and Netflix. IFA dumped some unexpected 3D hardware in our laps in the form of Toshiba’s ZL2 and Sony’s HMZ-T1 — we’ll see which one is the bigger draw this holiday season. We’ve got all that and plenty more so before you sit down to watch the NFL kick off later this week, press play and give us a listen.

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Hosts: Ben Drawbaugh (@bjdraw), Richard Lawler (@rjcc)

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00:02:05 – Microsoft confirms Media Center will be in Windows 8
00:10:09 – DirecTV’s new HD UI revealed to testers, is prettier and faster than the current one
00:16:03 – DirecTV adds AMC-HD next week, too bad Mad Men is still six months away
00:22:09 – Dish Network’s Tailgater brings you portable satellite TV, won’t cool your beer (video)
00:24:45 – Dish reportedly launching Blockbuster movie streaming service next month
00:28:25 – Starz ends renewal negotiations with Netflix, will pull movies from streaming in February
00:39:58 – Hulu launches streaming in Japan for about $20 US monthly
00:46:35 – Netflix lands in Brazil, 43 other Latin American countries within the week
00:47:25 – Sony’s new internet TV box, projector and Blu-ray player make an appearance at IFA
00:51:00 – Haier’s mind control TV prototype hits IFA, we go foreheads-on (video)
00:52:47 – Sony’s head-mounted 3D visor is real, HMZ-T1 arrives in Japan November 11th
00:57:47 – Sony HMZ-T1 headset hits IFA, we go hands-on (video)
00:59:03 – Toshiba’s glasses free 3D TV launches in Europe as the ZL2 this December
01:02:09 – Must See HDTV (September 5th – 11th)

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Engadget HD Podcast 264 – 09.06.2011 originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 06 Sep 2011 16:34:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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It’s Monday, and we’re still here to help by letting you peek into the recording booth when the Engadget HD podcast goes to mp3 at 6PM. It’s not our regular time, but it’s a holiday anyway right? So take a peek at the live stream, chat and list of topics after the break.

Continue reading Join the Engadget HD Podcast live on Ustream at 6PM

Join the Engadget HD Podcast live on Ustream at 6PM originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 05 Sep 2011 17:36:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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They didn’t earn highlights during Sony’s IFA 2011 keynote, but it did slip out a few more pieces of home theater hardware that are more likely to end up in your living room than its outlandish 3D helmet. The SMP-N200 replaces the earlier Netbox that debuted last year with a refreshed design and support for HD and 3D. Unsurprisingly, this Blu-ray player (without the Blu-ray) also supports DLNA “throwing” of content, making it a natural Apple TV-style tie-in for the Tablet S and Tablet P once they launch. Moving on, the VPL-VW95ES is a proper replacement for last year’s VPL-VW90ES that we’ll probably get more properly acquainted with later this week at CEDIA. For 2011 it’s been refreshed with 3D conversion capabilities, an integrated 3D emitter to sync the glasses and the ability to set and memorize different lens positions to switch seamlessly between 16:9 and ultrawidescreen projecting. Finally, the BDP-S185 Blu-ray player was announced, with compact size and power consumption that Sony claims is 47 percent less than the previous year’s models as its most notable features. All should start shipping in October, no specific word on pricing yet.

Continue reading Sony’s new internet TV box, projector and Blu-ray player make an appearance at IFA

Sony’s new internet TV box, projector and Blu-ray player make an appearance at IFA originally appeared on Engadget on Sun, 04 Sep 2011 21:03:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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