Opera SDK to be the basis of TCL’s upcoming line of Smart TVs

It looks like China's TCL isn't just working with Google to grace its line of flat-screen TVs. The TV maker has just announced that its next line of Smart TVs will be powered by yet another well-known web brand -- Opera. Indeed, TCL's E5691, E5510, F3250 and F3500 series of HDTVs will be built on top of Opera's devices SDK for Linux-based devices, and will feature Opera's TV browser and TV Store. Aside from apps and the usual online entertainment options, Opera's TV platform also seeks to offer an enhanced TV experience, so that you can check your Twitter stream while watching your favorite episode of Game of Thrones, for example. Other features of the new line of TCL sets include 3D viewing, multi-screen interaction and the ability to use your phone as a remote control. They're slated to debut in Australia, Europe and Latin America later this year for a yet to be determined price, with no word on their North American presence. This is not the first time Opera has entered the Smart TV space, but TCL's adoption does lend additional legitimacy to the company's silver screen venture.

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Want To Get In On UltraHD Now, On The Cheap?

seiki-50-inch-4ktv

You’ve had an HDTV set for years and are thinking of getting something new? Don’t want to drop $5,000 to $7,000 on one of the newer 4K TVs from the likes of Sony? Well, you can still get in on the next generation of high definition resolution at a relatively affordable price if you’re willing to go with a lesser known company. SEIKI has started selling a 50-inch 4K2K Ultra HDTV for all of $1,500, a pittance in comparison to what the bigger names want. Granted, no one knows just how good the picture quality is; no one at OhGizmo! HQ has heard of them before. But at least you’ll know that the television you buy for a large and a half will have “3,840 x 2,160 picture resolution, 120Hz refresh rate, three HDMI ports and an HDMI 1.4 cable (for resolutions higher than 1080p), VGA port, 5000:1 contrast ratio, and a “one-year, no-nonsense, replacement warranty” in the U.S.” That’s not half bad, and TigerDirect is already selling them.

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LG has found 300 homes for its $20K, 84-inch, 4K TV in Korea so far

LG has found 300 homes for its $20K, 84inch, 4K TV so far

Throwing a $20k Ultra HD TV set onto the market when there's no 4K content of any kind in sight is quite the leap of faith, but LG told ChosunBiz (and confirmed to us) that it's already found 300 deep-pocketed videophiles in Korea for its 84-inch 84LM9600 since it went on sale. Judging by CES 2013 the industry is all-in on the tech, so that news hopefully bodes well for the near future of UHDTV. It's safe to say that consumer interest has been piqued by the pixel-rich screens, but whether that'll translate into the kind of numbers we've seen recently for run-of-the-mill HDTV will likely depend on the all-important sticker price -- which will have to be much, much lower than recent models.

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Via: The Verge

Source: ChosunBiz (translated)

Sharp announces first TVs with Moth-Eye technology: the AQUOS XL series

Sharp announces first TVs with Moth-Eye technology: the AQUOS XL series

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 Japan on December 15th, while the 60- and 70-inch variants will come slightly earlier, on November 30th. You're going to have to be quick on launch day, though -- only 10,000 units are expected to be available in the first month.

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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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Samsung asks for South Korean injunction against LG for allegedly stealing OLED tech

Samsung 55-inch OLED TV at CES

LG and Samsung have had to live with each other as cornerstones of the South Korean economy, but that uncomfortable balance might just have been knocked off-kilter through an escalating legal battle. Samsung has filed for an injunction against LG for supposedly coercing 11 Samsung researchers (already indicted in July) into leaking the secrets behind its OLED screens, including 18 pieces of technology and 21 related documents. The accuser wants 1 billion won (about $879,771) in compensation for every piece of technology that might have slipped out. Suffice it to say that LG isn't happy with being labeled as a thief -- it notes that LG screens use white OLEDs instead of Samsung's RGB technique, reducing its incentive to swipe anything Samsung makes. LG even contends that Samsung is just trying to hide its embarrassment at losing OLED TV demo units that were headed to IFA 2012. Without a clear resolution in sight, there's every indication the legal dispute could become very ugly.

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Samsung asks for South Korean injunction against LG for allegedly stealing OLED tech originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 05 Sep 2012 13:34:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink The Next Web  |  sourceThe Korea Herald, Yonhap News Agency  | Email this | Comments

Sony demos Bravia HX950 flagship HDTV at IFA, confirms pricing from €2,999 (hands-on video)

Sony demos Bravia HX950 flagship HDTV at IFA, confirms pricing from 2,999 handson video

Eager to get your hands on a top-of-the-line set without shelling out five figures for a super-slick 55-inch OLED? Sony's Bravia HX950 may have caught your eye, with its Intelligent Peak LED Backlight that's said to deliver "the best contrast Sony has to offer." According to representatives at IFA (who don't always tend to offer the most consistent specifications), the full-array system includes 196 individual zones, letting the television adjust backlighting on a more granular level, resulting in brighter whites and deeper blacks. We caught up with both the 55- and 65-inch flavors of Sony's HX950 at the company's booth, where several demo stations were arranged to highlight the backlighting, along with features called 3D Super-Resolution, Internet Video Super Resolution and HD Super Resolution. All of the side-by-side demonstrations provided noticeable improvements, though all three Super Resolution settings may be a tad too sharp for some viewers.

The set itself is as gorgeous as you'd expect for a flagship model, with a black glossy bezel and a narrow design that's sufficiently svelte without stepping into ultra-thin territory. The specially designed glass panel does indeed help to reduce glare, as we experienced in the visually congested IFA booth. Perhaps most interesting is the price -- €2,999 (about $3,800) for the 55-inch model, and €4,999 (about $6,300) for the 65 incher -- a steep drop from the 650,000 yen (about $8,270) the HDTV is commanding in Japan. We weren't able to confirm US availability or pricing, which will likely come in below the European tag, but reps did quote a November 1st ship date, which seems to be in line with the November 10th date we heard for Japan earlier this week. You'll have but two months to wait before adding this monster to your collection, but you can snag a look today in our gallery below and hands-on video after the break.

Continue reading Sony demos Bravia HX950 flagship HDTV at IFA, confirms pricing from €2,999 (hands-on video)

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Sony demos Bravia HX950 flagship HDTV at IFA, confirms pricing from €2,999 (hands-on video) originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 31 Aug 2012 10:10:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Toshiba 84-inch 4K Quad Full HD TV hands-on (video)

Toshiba 84inch 4K Quad Full HD TV handson video

84 seems to be the magic number at IFA. 84 inches, that is, when it comes to 4K TVs. Sony announced its jumbo 4K set at yesterday's press conference, and now Toshiba has returned with a matching high-res model of its own. The Toshiba set has a slightly sleeker housing, aided by the fact that it didn't have side-mounted speakers as with Sony's flavor -- though, if you're able to afford a (yet-unpriced) TV of this caliber, a premium surround-sound rig better be on the agenda as well. The picture quality, as you might expect, was fantastic. You'll see individual pixels once you're within a few feet of the display, but given its 84-inch footprint, you're going to want to position yourself quite a distance from the panel in order to take it all in.

Toshiba had three sets on display, running through loops of game play, cityscapes and some decked-out human models. The ambient setting was favorably configured, and with ideal content colors were vibrant and the picture was incredibly bright and sharp during our demo, even when viewed from a slight angle. There was a hint of reflection, but only when a dark image popped into frame, despite a multitude of visual noise in the area. You'll need to see Toshiba's 84-inch, 3,840 x 2,160-pixel TV in person to get the full effect (perhaps after it launches early next year), though you can take a (low-res) peek in our gallery below and the video after the break. You can also get a feel for the size -- keep an eye out for the Galaxy Note in the bottom left corner in the shot above.

Continue reading Toshiba 84-inch 4K Quad Full HD TV hands-on (video)

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Toshiba 84-inch 4K Quad Full HD TV hands-on (video) originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 30 Aug 2012 07:06:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Tencent and TCL unveil Ice Screen: a 26-inch Android-based smart TV

Tencent and TCL unveil Ice Screen: a 26-inch Android-based smart TV

Chinese web titan Tencent and TCL Multimedia have torn the wraps off the Ice Screen, a jointly developed 26-inch smart TV with a 1,366 x 768 display that allows users to browse the web, access videos, music and games through QQ services. Under the hood, the Android-powered television houses a dual-core Cortex A9 1GHz processor, a Mali 400 GPU, 4GB of RAM and support for a memory card of up to 32GB in size. An IR remote and an app for devices sporting version 2.2 or higher of Google's OS can be used to control the tube, which can sit horizontally or vertically in its stand. On the connectivity front, the panel packs Wi-Fi, a pair of USB ports, HDMI and a 3.5mm headphone jack. You can plunk down ¥1,999 (roughly $315) for an online pre-order before its September 3rd launch. More details await in the press release after the jump.

Continue reading Tencent and TCL unveil Ice Screen: a 26-inch Android-based smart TV

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Tencent and TCL unveil Ice Screen: a 26-inch Android-based smart TV originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 23 Aug 2012 10:11:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Philips’ unannounced 9 series flagship TVs get exposed by leaked document

Philips' unannounced Series 9 flagship TVs get exposed by leaked document

Having already unveiled an entire set of HD, LCD televisions back at last year's CES, the next obvious step for Philips would be to work its way up the entertainment ladder and take the wraps off of its flagship 9 series. Fortunately for us (and you), though, a recently leaked document's giving us an early peek of what we can expect from the manufacturer as it tries to re-invade living rooms all over the globe. According to the revealing docs, Philips will be adding the 9707 and 9607 Smart TVs to its 9 series repertoire, offering viewers a choice between a relatively large 46-inch or a more colossal 60-incher -- both reportedly "very thin." Additionally, the intelligent couple's said to be loaded with 3D Max features, a 1200Hz Perfect Motion Rate system, and both are expected to be powered by the outfit's Perfect Pixel HD processing technology. Needless to say, given its Smart TV status, it's safe to say it'll come with the usual WiFi capabilities as well as a number of apps to pick from. If curiosity is taking over you, such exposing documents can be found at the source below in PDF form.

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Philips' unannounced 9 series flagship TVs get exposed by leaked document originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 10 Jul 2012 15:48:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink FlatpanelsHD  |  sourceLeaked Phillips Document (PDF)  | Email this | Comments