IFA 2010: Two companies show technology at IFA

While 3D television with glasses is here, in our living rooms, and getting the big shout at IFA in Berlin, a handful of companies are already showing off the 3D televisions of tomorrow.

They might not be household names in the UK and US, but Vestel, the largest TV manufacturer in Europe which accounts for 16 per cent of the LCD TV market, is showing off a 46-inch lenticular lens based television that would let you watch TV in your living room without 3D glasses.

A spokesperson for the company told Pocket-lint, that it will be on sale in Europe at the start of 2011.

However, CEO of Dimenco, Maarten Tobias, says that his lenticular lens based television is available now to private customers looking to ditch the glasses.

A 56-inch television, that has been developed in connection with Philips?will be 56 inches in size and cost 40,000 euros as they aren't commercially available as yet.

Even if you're ready to stump up enough cash to buy you a very nice car, you'll struggle to find content to watch on the new televisions. Unfortunately it's not just a case of getting your new 3D Blu-ray player and away you go. Footage has to be split into 9 or 15 images per slide all by a rendering chip inside.

So when will this brand of televisions become a reality? Tobias believes we've got another 3 - 5 years to go before IFA will be filled with the new technology, most of which Philips owns the patents for.

However, as with everything, early adopters won't have to wait that long. Tobias says his company is releasing a 52-inch monitor for businesses costing around ?6000 in the next couple of months.

Tags: Televisions 3DTV Philips Dimenco Vestel 3D televisions IFA2010 Home Cinema

3D TV without glasses shows it's ready for primetime originally appeared on http://www.pocket-lint.com on Fri, 03 Sep 2010 12:49:00 +0100

IFA 2010: Teams up to launch 3D TV service in UK

Sky?and LG?have formally announced they will be teaming up to launch Sky's 3D TV service when it launches on 1 October 2010.

The partnership, which will see the two brands embark on joint marketing as well as consumer awareness, education and demonstration activity, builds on a relationship that has already seen over a million people enjoy 3D TV in pubs and clubs nationwide.?

From 1 October Sky will start broadcasting its 3D channel to living rooms across the UK and Ireland, with live coverage of the Ryder Cup from Celtic Manor, along with promotion of LG’s extensive range of 3D TVs to the 2.9 million customers who already have a Sky+HD box and are therefore 3D-ready.?

“We believe in giving customers choice and as the only manufacturer so far committed to both active and passive TVs, we believe LG has the breadth of product to offer a 3D TV experience for all Sky customers. We will work alongside LG in helping raise interest and awareness of 3D as we build up to and beyond the launch of Sky 3D”, Hilary Perchard, Sky’s director of product management says.

"LG and Sky will be providing exclusive offers to new and existing Sky customers, which will in turn encourage people to make 3D a reality in their living room".?

Details of exclusive Sky customer deals will be revealed shortly.

The news comes on the back of the launch of LG’s first 3D plasma TV (PX990) at IFA in Berlin, Germany.

The new model will sport active 3D technology and is the first 3D plasma TV in the world to receive 3D THX Certification.

The PX990 also sees the introduction of 2D to 3D picture conversion capability to LG’s 3D range as plasma screen technology - combined with LG’s 600hz technology for exceptional smooth motion on both 2D and 3D - presents the best possible quality conversion capabilities.

LG has also revealed a giant 180-inch plasma 3D TV prototype and a new 31-inch OLED TV screen, providing a glimpse of LG’s exciting products to come and continued leadership in technology development in home entertainment.

Tags: Home Cinema Televisions 3DTV LG Sky IFA2010

 

Sky: LG has best 3D TV originally appeared on http://www.pocket-lint.com on Fri, 03 Sep 2010 07:39:00 +0100

It's not just televisions that are going 3D

We've had 3D televisions, but now Philips is launching a 3D electric shaver, the company has confirmed, promising the uncut scruffy men of this world the "best shave yet".

In amongst the company's new televisions, MP3 players and iPad speaker docks, Philips has launched the SensoTouch 3D.

The shaver will come with a technology Philips is branding GyroFlex 3D, that allows the shaver to perfectly follow the unique contours of the face and when combined with another buzz word Philips are using; UltraTrack, means you get smooth face every time.

The shaver head combines three specialized tracks to catch every hair with just a few strokes: slots for normal hair; channels for long or flat laying hair; and holes for the shortest stubbles.

If you're still up for more buzzwords, then the third element to the 3D shaver is Aquatec, a built-in seal that allows men the versatility to choose between a comfortable dry shave and a refreshing wet shave, for those who prefer to use a gel.

Those wishing to go all out will be able to get a jet clean system that cleans, lubricates and charges the shaver for optimal shaving performance every day.

Tags: Gadgets Bathroom gadgets Philips Philips SensoTouch 3D Movember

         

Philips SensoTouch 3D shaver follows TVs with 3D performance originally appeared on http://www.pocket-lint.com on Fri, 03 Sep 2010 06:45:00 +0100

IFA 2010: World's first cinema proportion 3D TV

It's been over a year in the making, but Philips has used its IFA 2010 press conference to announce that it will be bringing a 3D version of its ultra-wide 21:9 Cinema television to the market, for the likes of you and I to buy.?

Philips has been showing off its 3D 21:9 Cinema display since IFA 2009, and at IFA 2010 it has finally made the breakthrough from concept to reality.

That's right, Philips has officially confirmed that it will be launching the TV in the UK by the end of the year and that it will cost ?3999.99, for those wanting to experience the extra wide widescreen television.

Those that do take the plunge will get the world’s first cinema proportion 3D TV with, as the name suggests, a 21:9 aspect ratio, so movies in the 2.39:1 format (think Star Wars and other greats) completely fill the screen without those black bars.

Introduced in 2009, this years’ Cinema 21:9 has received a powerful performance upgrade that includes all the picture quality innovations you would expect from the award winning Philips 9000 series, including Direct lit LED, 400Hz and Perfect Pixel HD Engine picture processing, packaged in an even larger 58-inch Full HD screen in 21:9 aspect ratio.

The TV will also come with three-sided Ambilight Spectra, which completely immerses you in the movie and delivers the ultimate home cinema experience.

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Tags: Televisions Home Cinema Philips Philips Cinema 219 IFA2010

             

Philips 3D 21:9 Cinema TV: extra wide television goes three dimensional originally appeared on http://www.pocket-lint.com on Fri, 03 Sep 2010 06:18:00 +0100

Filed under: Box Office, Tech Stuff, Politics

We're all well aware of the subtle and subjective art of the cinematic rating system. Remove a word here, take out an innuendo or slip of the nip there, and suddenly that risque adult fare becomes palatable for familial audiences. But here's a new goodie to consider: With the rise of 3D, will we start seeing the same film receive different ratings between the second and third dimension, and what will that mean for the ever-important box office take?

It seems that overseas in Sweden, the country's Board of Film Censors doled out two different ratings for Cats and Dogs: The Revenge of Kitty Galore. The 2D version was rated G, meaning everyone could see it without adult supervision, while the 3D version was rated PG, requiring adults to accompany tykes under the age of 7.

Continue reading Do 3D Movies Deserve Higher Ratings?

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IFA2010: 3D Blu-ray support and real time stereoscopic upscaling

Toshiba has shown some more love to its 3D laptop extraordinaire that is the Satellite A665. The manufacturer has added 3D Blu-ray disc support as well as the ability to upscale 2D video in real time to the kind that jumps out of the screen at you.

The 3D upscaling is taken care of by the proprietary Toshiba Video Player 3D software, which you cannot put onto other machines. On top of that, the company has also added 3D streaming over the HDMI port so that you can watch all of these goodies on your 3DTV if you get bored of the 15.6-inch TruBrite HD display with LED backlighting.

Those buying the Satellite A665 new will have all this as standard, but a firmware download is also available to already purchased models.?

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Tags: Laptops Nvidia 3D Toshiba Satellite A665 Toshiba IFA2010

Toshiba beefs up the 3D on the Satellite A665 laptop originally appeared on http://www.pocket-lint.com on Thu, 02 Sep 2010 17:24:00 +0100

Though there are five (or is it fifty?) projects Angelina Jolie is flirting with or prepping for right now -- from her directorial debut in Bosnia to Cleopatra -- there's one film she's definitely not doing. In fact, she's refused to sign on twice now, even after some salivating hard-core press from the studio, an intriguing premise, a great director, and big money.

Though Warner Bros. fought to bring her into the fold, and she was initially intrigued by the project when it was at Universal, Jolie refuses to headline Gravity, Alfonso Cuaron's upcoming 3D sci-fi film, which would see her in a challenging Cast Away-type role set on a space station.

Filed under: Sci-Fi & Fantasy, Casting, RumorMonger

Continue reading Angelina Jolie Passes Up Awesome 3D Sci-Fi Epic 'Gravity' Because ...

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IFA2010:...and a little entry level love as well

Toshiba has approached 3D at IFA2010 in exactly the same way that it didn't Blu-ray - quickly and with great gusto. The Toshiba?BDX3100KB 3D Blu-ray player is arriving in the UK in October and will allow anyone with a 3D TV to enjoy 3D Blu-ray movies as well at the Fullest of 1080p/24fps HD resolution.

There's a USB port for MP3, MKV, AVCHD, DivX and JPEG playback as well as a trusty old 3D compatible HDMI. The?Toshiba?BDX3100KB supports both of the top HD audio standards in the form of Dolby TruHD and DTS Master Audio Essential, and can offer up to 7.1 channels - provided you've got that many speakers, of course. All of that plus SD upscaling to 1080p and BD Live 2.0 for any added content that you might find out there on the intertubes.

If you don't have a 3D TV or just aren't interested, Tosh has also introduced an entry level player in the shape of the Toshiba?BDX1100KB. It has the same credentials as its bigger brother, minus the 3D aspect and unfortunately that USB slot as well. So, you can wave goodbye to all that digital file support. Doubtless it'll be reflected in the price come October just as soon as Toshiba tells us what it is.

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Tags: Home Cinema Blu-ray Blu-ray 3D Blu-ray players Toshiba IFA2010

 

Toshiba brings 3D to BD with BDX3100KB Blu-ray player originally appeared on http://www.pocket-lint.com on Thu, 02 Sep 2010 16:55:00 +0100

IFA 2010: Regza lineup gets a 3D overhaul

It's taken a while, but Toshiba is now well and truly aboard the good ship 3D TV following its launch event over at IFA.

Amongst a barrage of product launches, the highlight, in terms of home cinema at least, was the arrival of the new Toshiba Regza WL 3D TV range.

The WL768 series comes in three sizes - 40-inch, 46-inch and 55-inch and all are full 1080p HD 3D LED displays with an impressive 7,000,000:1 contrast ratio.

They feature Toshiba's MetaBrain engine meaning "a range of advanced Toshiba picture enhancement technologies, including new and enhanced Resolution+ and Active Vision M200HD Pro picture processing".

The TVs have a 200Hz refresh rate and use active shutter tech for your 3D viewing. They also feature intelligent 3D tech which compensates for the lack of brightness and 3D Resolution+, which "analyses each single image and improves edge detail and texture in near-real time, generating a 3D image at near Full HD quality from a side-by-side input signal".

The Regza WL series have a built in DVB-T2 tuner, meaning Freeview HD is ready from the off. As well as four HDMI inputs, there are also two USB ports which allow for DivX HD, MKV, JPEG and MP3 playback.

The TVs are also Wi-Fi connected so you can get services like YouTube and, more excitingly, the BBC iPlayer piped straight to your set. The series is also compatible with Windows 7, meaning seamless streaming from your home network.

The Toshiba Regza series is out in October, with prices still to be confirmed.

Oh, and in case you were wondering, you'll get just the one pair of Toshiba 3D specs in the box - you better tell the missus that she's going to have to develop her own active shutter eyesight.

Tags: Toshiba IFA2010 Toshiba Regza Toshiba Regza WL Home Cinema

Toshiba joins the 3D revolution with first ever 3D TV originally appeared on http://www.pocket-lint.com on Thu, 02 Sep 2010 16:16:00 +0100

IFA2010: Japanese panel maker and its extra pixel joins the stereoscopic party

At IFA 2009, it was just a single extra yellow pixel that Sharp tried to wow the world with. Now, at IFA 2010, the company has plonked itself firmly on the 3DTV bandwagon with the Sharp Aquos LE925 Quattron LED TV. Quite a mouthful.

Fortunately, the company has put better thought into the technology than the naming process for this series which consists of two panel sizes - 60- and 46-inch models. Refresh speed is obviously the name of the game for a better LCD shutter glasses experience and Sharp has packed in both side LED scanning and a high speed LCD technology called FRED - Frame Rate Enhanced Driving. The claimed 1.8x better brightness than normal three primary colour set is said to reduce crosstalk 3D image separation even further.

Being side-lit, the TVs are a standard 3.9cm deep and there is the internet connected Aquos Net+ platform to enjoy as well as 2D to 3D footage conversion as well.

If you're not bothered by all the stereoscopic nonsense, then Sharp has also announced LE924, LE824 and LE814 Quattron 2D LCD TVs featuring much of the same technology but without all the extra jazz. All the sets are out this month and we'll have prices for you as soon as they come in. Oh, and just in case you're concerned, the 3D LCD shutter glasses come in red, blue and silver. Interior decorating crisis over.

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Tags: Home Cinema Televisions Sharp IFA2010 Sharp Aquos LE925 3DTV 3D televisions

Sharp goes 3D with Aquos Quattron LE925 LED TV originally appeared on http://www.pocket-lint.com on Thu, 02 Sep 2010 14:42:00 +0100