When I saw Samsung’s easel-like TV I thought that that was the weirdest you could make a TV while still making it classy. Apparently not. Philips’ new DesignLine TVs have a glass front that is seamless, frameless and a has a black gradient design. When it’s turned off, it looks like the most luxurious piece of leftover construction material you’ll ever see.
As you can see in the images, the TVs are insanely thin and can be leaned against a wall as well as mounted on a well or stood up. Of course, the TV isn’t just glass; its brains and other hardware are hidden behind the LED screen. Speaking of hardware, it should come as no surprise that the DesignLine TVs are 1080p and can play 3D videos.
The TVs are also equipped with Philips’ Ambilight. The lights are designed to enhance the floating effect of the glass front by projecting lights on the wall behind the TV that match what’s being displayed onscreen. I think it’s distracting. I also think I won’t be able to afford a DesignLine TV.
The DesignLine TVs also have WiFi and an AirPlay-like technology called SimplyShare, which will allow users to wirelessly stream media from their computers and mobile devices to the TV. Finally, just so you never forget how much money you spent on it, each DesignLine TV comes with a remote control that has a built-in keyboard and a brushed aluminum finish.
Philips DesignLine TVs come in 46″ and 55″ screen sizes and should be available in Europe and Russia in the second quarter of 2013. No word on how much this thing costs, but you know what they say. They say, “Is there even anything on that deserves to be watched on this TV?”
[via Philips & TP Vision via DVICE]
Each week Ross Rubin contributes Switched On, a column about consumer technology.
The past decade has now seen at least three industry-wide technologies vie for the future of television -- HD, 3D and now 4K or UHD. The first of these -- HD -- represented a massive change for television that affected nearly every aspect of the TV experience from how it was captured to how it was consumed. A decade later, it is nearly impossible to purchase a TV that does not support high-definition. The second -- 3D -- was a mixed bag. While the technology became commonplace on high-end TVs, it has remained relevant for only a small fraction of programming. The question, then, is which of these paths, if either, 4K will follow.
Filed under: Home Entertainment
Got a 3D TV? You've probably noticed that not all depth perception is equal. It's true, not all films have the privilege of being shot in 3D -- many are converted in post production, and more still make the switch years after their initial release. Lionsgate and Samsung are planning to expand the latter category. Using Sammy's proprietary 3D processing technology, the two firms will dimensionalize a handful of films from Lionsgate's catalog, starting with Gamer, Bangkok Dangerous, Crank, and The Descent. More title are on the way too, slated for future release on DVD and Blu-ray. Groundbreaking? No, but worthwhile for 3D connoisseurs. After all, 3D conversion served Star Wars, I, Robot and Disney well enough, didn't it?
Filed under: Home Entertainment, HD
Sony might have beaten LG to the punch in the 84-inch 4K TV wars with its XBR-84X900 pre-orders, but you've got to be on the field to win -- and the first to show up for battle is LG's 84LM9600, which is officially on sale and in stores as of today. Anyone who can find a retailer carrying the Ultra High-Definition LCD can drop $19,999 to get what will undoubtedly be the centerpiece of the room, even if there's hardly any content to fully exploit those six million extra pixels. LG does have a $5,000 price advantage over the Sony 4K set shipping next month, although we won't kid ourselves here. Anyone who can see themselves spending five digits on bleeding-edge TV technology is either wealthy enough not to mind or busy explaining to the family why home refinancing is totally worth it.
Continue reading LG's 84-inch 4K TV goes on sale in the US for $19,999, home mortgage optional
Filed under: Home Entertainment, HD, LG
LG's 84-inch 4K TV goes on sale in the US for $19,999, home mortgage optional originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 26 Oct 2012 02:07:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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Sharp may look like it's in trouble, but that's not stopping it bringing new displays to the market, including today's announcement of the AQUOS Quattron 3D XL TV line. Behind the mouthful of acronyms, these LED-backlit LCD panels are the first to feature Sharp's Moth-Eye technology, designed to reduce glare and pump out bright colors, as well as a deep black. The company's 'four primary color' tech is partly responsible for the rich output, which squeezes a yellow sub-pixel in with the standard R, G and B. All the panels run at 1,920 x 1,080, as you'd expect, sport a 10 million to 1 contrast ratio and use five speakers to deliver audio. Prices aren't fixed, but the 46-, 52- and 80-inch models will be released in
Sharp announces first TVs with Moth-Eye technology: the AQUOS XL series originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 25 Oct 2012 04:49:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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LG Electronics has reported its earnings for Q3 2012, notching its third straight quarter of positive income with a net profit of 157 billion won ($138.57 million) and "solid" performances from its home theater and mobile businesses. Revenue is down from the same period last year, but seeing as it's actually making money this time around it's probably still reason to celebrate. On the mobile side of the aisle it reports an operating profit of $19.42 million with slightly higher sales than Q2, mostly thanks to those LTE smartphones it's been rolling out. Its home entertainment biz noted a rise in LCD sales, with 3D TVs and LED-lit models growing from last quarter in most markets. Looking towards the future it's obviously going all-in on the Optimus G (although our interests run towards the Nexus G that should debut next week), and also looks for its Ultra HD television to raise its standing as a premium brand. Check the press release after the break and PDF linked below for more numbers if that's your thing.
Filed under: Cellphones, Home Entertainment, HD, Mobile, LG
LG records a 'solid' $138.57 million net profit for Q3, keeps the positive trend going originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 24 Oct 2012 00:32:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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Lytro isn't done extending the usefulness of its light field camera just because we have manual controls. Another update due by the end of the year will take advantage of that focus-independent sensor to allow a parallax-based 3D effect in photos: invoke a 'full' focus in reviewing shots and you can start poking around the scene in a limited way without having ever touched a dual-sensor camera. Appropriately, we're also getting support for examining photos on 3D monitors and TVs that emphasize the added depth. The promised features come hand-in-hand with Lytro's immediate availability in Hong Kong, where 8GB blue and gray cameras are selling for $3,888 HKD ($502 US) and the 16GB red model goes for $4,688 HKD ($605). Check out our Chinese crew's eyes-on look at the parallax effect in a video after the break.
Filed under: Cameras
Lytro camera getting parallax effect and 3D display support, lands in Hong Kong (video) originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 18 Oct 2012 17:59:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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If you've spent all of this effort launching an All-3D channel, it's probably wise to ensure you've got enough content to keep your schedules full. That's why 3net founders Sony, Discovery and IMAX are teaming up to launch 3net Studios, with facilities opening in California and Maryland. The new business will be used to bring together the best and brightest minds in stereoscopic media to produce footage for the channel. It'll begin announcing the first projects in the next few weeks, but unless there's space for a 3D version of Dan Harmon's Community, we won't be listening.
Continue reading Sony, Discovery and IMAX launch 3net Studios to produce in-house 3D content
Filed under: Home Entertainment, HD
Sony, Discovery and IMAX launch 3net Studios to produce in-house 3D content originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 17 Oct 2012 11:21:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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Here's yet another 84-inch 4K TV, this time from LG. The company's 84LM9600 was announced last week and has already started shipping in Korea, but it's here at IFA and poised to hit the market worldwide. Priced at about $22,105, this display is big in every way. You get a resolution of 3,840 x 2,160 -- four times the resolution of existing full HD panels -- and what LG calls "3D sound" thanks to 2.2 integrated channel speakers. 3D is courtesy of the company's passive glasses technology. So how does that all look?
We spotted the set during LG's booth tour today. At first it seemed like "just another" 84-inch 4K TV (the form-factor seems to have exploded within the last week), but this flavor is rigged for three-dimensional viewing as well. You'll need to view 2D content in order to take advantage of the full resolution, and the picture in this mode seemed to be on par with the competition, based on our quick peek at IFA. And how about 3D? The passive picture was consistent with the company's other sets, just, well, much much larger. Will you be making room for this massive set in your living room? You might want to take a closer look in our hands-on photos below before pulling out that credit card.
Follow all of our IFA 2012 coverage by heading to our event hub!
Continue reading LG's 84-inch UD 3D TV makes its formal IFA debut, we go hands-on (video)
Filed under: Home Entertainment, Household
LG's 84-inch UD 3D TV makes its formal IFA debut, we go hands-on (video) originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 30 Aug 2012 09:48:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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