With a concept like the giant glassless 3D TV on display from the Japanese, very few expected Smart TVs to be a bigger hit at the IFA 2011, but as it turns out, that was indeed the case. It seems that the concept of glassless 3D or anything else related to three dimensional pictures on the television screen did not attract people as much as the concept of being able to access YouTube or Facebook right from the television did. The integration of YouTube 3D as announced by Samsung earlier in the IFA 2011, gained even more attention than was expected, making it one of the hits of the year. What we take away from all that we saw and heard in the IFA this year is that web and 3D capabilities will soon become the minimum standard for all TVs in the near future. These features can no longer be treated as features reserved only for the high-end consumers.
After the mind boggling Mind Control TV prototype, Haier has brought another unusual television set to the IFA this year. This time, they have displayed the organic transparent TV which has a 22″ OLED panel and displays media at a resolution of 1680×1050. The display is ultra-slim and its bezel is made out of polished metal. Based on what is seen so far, the quality seemed remarkably sharp on its 22″ OLED screen, but the color reproduction was a little below expectation. What is unique and quite beautiful about the TV set is the fact that the media displayed on it was actually transparent (translucent to be appropriate really!). Also, you could see the same image if you go behind the TV because it was displaying the same image with equal clarity on its backside as well. This however, is just a prototype like the Brain Wave TV shown earlier by Haier and thus there is no word on when it will be made available for the consumers.
The new range of Philips DesignLine LED TVs is going to be designed to please the taste of even the most fashionable and stylish among us. In the words of Philips, the DesignLine range is going to be “a fusion between function and form”. Once you see the television set which has a glass frame to give its audience the illusion that the TV has no rim and the pictures are floating in thin air, you will probably have an inclination to agree with the manufacturer. However, one might also get a feeling that a few elements of the design are borrowed from Apple; not that it is a bad thing in this case.
The Edge (PDL7906) models are going to be available in two sizes, 32″ and 42″. Expect innovative Philips techs like Ambilight and Easy 3D in the Edge Full HD, 3D LED TV models. In fact, with the DesignLine range, Philips have adopted the cheaper and lighter passive 3D technology like LG’s Cinema 3D. A matching SoundHub home theatre system (HTS9241) is going to be a optional choice, but you would probably want it as it has almost everything that anyone can ask for, which includes titanium tweeters, built-in WiFi, Smart TV functionalities as well as a idock!
The Tilt (PDL 4909) models are the low end variants of the DesignLine series, available in the sizes of 22″ and 26″. Although you will neither find three dimensional capabilities nor the impressive Ambilight technology in them, they remain true to their name as you can tilt these sets back by up to ten degrees. To its credit, the internal MPEG-4 tuner does a good job of receiving HD signals, which makes a HD set top box unnecessary. The inclusion of Philips’ Digital Crystal Clear Processor ensures that the Tilt automatically adjusts color, contrast and everything else to present you with the best picture without the need of any manual tuning.
We will have to wait and see if the two DesignLine TVs can impress the consumers enough when they come out (no date is announced yet).
Irrespective of how good your 3D HDTV is, you are sure to feel that there is a shortage of available 3D content to enjoy on that giant three dimensional screen of yours. Samsung has addressed that problem by announcing at the IFA that they will soon release an update for their Smart TV application which will allow the owners of a Samsung 3D HDTV to stream 3D videos on YouTube right on their TV screen. YouTube has an impressive collection of both professional and amateur 3D videos as a result of nearly two years of accumulation (since it launched support for 3D videos). This update should supply the owners of Samsung 3D TVs with enough 3D content for now. It should be noted that LG 3D televisions with internet functions had received this update earlier this year.
YouTube’s 3D support was initially a small “20 percent” project by Google but it has now expanded in keeping with the number of users and viewers that have also multiplied greatly in these two years. The initial idea was to make 3D easier to access. Now with the latest updates from the major 3D TV manufacturers in their stock software, not only can one can shoot 3D media with the help of their 3D cameras and share it on YouTube, he can also watch it on a 3D HDTV without being bothered about compatibility or any other technical aspect.
We have already seen groundbreaking technology making its way through to IFA this year, especially with the showcasing of the 55ZL2 from Toshiba that enables 3D viewing without the aid of a 3D glass possible. However, Haier has taken innovation to an all new height with the introduction of the mind control prototype, what they have primarily termed as “Brain Wave”. Just as the remote control had once made the earlier form of attached television controls useless and obsolete many years ago, Brain Wave is all set to do the same to the remote control. According to Haier, this technology will allow the users to control all the features of the TV set with the aid of thoughts alone! All you will need to do is think of the channel you want to watch, or think about controlling the volume or any other settings and it shall be done.
Incredible and fascinating as it is, it is still not available and one would imagine that it will take some more time before it is all set to replace TV remotes once and for all. At this moment, how Haier showed off their brain wave powered technology was by allowing people to blow up barrels by just concentrating on the specific action. A peculiar headset with a clip for the ears and an arm that touches the forehead is the gear’s current structural condition, and once you get the hang of concentrating and relaxing simultaneously, blowing up barrels become quite easy actually. What remains to be seen is that when Haier releases its Brain Wave powered TVs onto the market, would the mind control unit be more comfortable and easy to use by then? If not, then the remote control may not face an imminent danger. Nonetheless, it is a fascinating piece of technology and its applications and probabilities are limitless.
The flagship 3D TV of the Korean Electronics giant at the IFA this year is the LW980S, a 3D HDTV with Cinema 3D, Nano Full LED, Smart TV utilities and everything else that one can possibly expect really! As is the case with passive 3D technology, the Cinema 3D tech used by the LW980S allows its audiences to watch 3D content by wearing lighter glasses that do not need recharging. Though not as high def as the 3D images offered by active shutter tech, it is indeed more comfortable and affordable as well, due to the low price tag on the passive 3D glasses. The standard 2D-to-3D conversion is also there so that you can convert regular 2D images into 3D models, but do not expect the quality to match that of a 3D video which was made to be viewed in 3D in the first place. However, it does a better job than the earlier models though.
The “Flicker-Free” certification by TUV and Intertek also works in the favor of the LW980S, especially when it is proven that 3D content on the LW980S is exceptionally suitable for long term viewing without endangering your health. The wider viewing angles also make the LG LW980S ideal for a group of people who can enjoy the three dimensional experience from any posture they attain. The dotted thin film based Nano Full LED technology together with the 400Hz TruMotion is meant to take the content viewed on the TV to a new level, be it 2D or 3D. Add an extremely thin bezel and LG’s own “3D Video-on-Demand” app to all this, and LG has a clear winner on their hands which is known as the LW980S.
Toshiba has lived up to its promise of bringing the glassless 3D TV to consumers by the year 2012. The 55ZL2 from Toshiba is a 55″ 3D LCD HDTV with Quad HD (4K) capabilities, but what is more astonishing is the flat screen’s ability to deliver images directly to the human eye without the aid of a compatible 3D glass! The US release date is not confirmed yet, but it will probably be available in the market for a hefty price tag of around $11,400 by early 2012.
Toshiba has managed to incorporate glassless 3D with a number of small, specialized lenses on the screen of the 55ZL2 that send separate visual signals of the same image to each eye at the same time. The result is that the human brain constructs a three dimensional image by relating the two separate signals and thus we perceive 3D without the help of a 3D glass. The lesser the number of viewers the more prominent the 3D effect would seem, but Toshiba claims that this model is capable of dividing the deviating signals in up to nine different directions, which makes glassless 3D viewing possible for a large number of people. In order to properly locate the exact position of the eyes of the viewers and deliver the 3D signals accurately, the 55ZL2 uses a face tracker that is activated at the touch of a button on the remote.
Other interesting features of the 55ZL2 include the 3,840×2160 resolution which is supposed to work in keeping the 3D content high quality even when viewed by multiple audiences from wider angles. The Japanese company’s Toshiba Places service would also be available to the owners of the high-end 3D model as well as the ability to record live television onto an external HDD via USB. The appeal of glassless 3D is lucrative without a doubt, but the heavy price of the 55ZL2 may deter a few of the less fortunate buyers from opting for the technology when it comes out in December, 2011 in Germany.
Although plasma technology has suffered recently because of constant competition from the LED and LCD TVs, LG is reportedly all set to give plasma the boost it needs to catch hold of the consumer’s attention once again at the IFA 2011. This intention was made clear when Heui-seob Kim (vice president of the PDP TV trade at LG) said “At IFA 2011, we’ll be taking the chance to show European consumers the true potential of plasma, and how we’re setting the pace with innovations that deliver real improvements in how viewers can watch and interact with their TVs.”
LG have always been committed towards developing better plasma displays as well as promoting the technology to its consumers, unlike some of the other manufacturers who had given up on plasma a few years back when it lost a great deal of its market value. It is for this reason that apart from releasing and promoting latest LED based LCD television series like the LW 6500 or the LW 9500, LG has also continued with the production of its plasma screens like the PZ950 series as well. We would have to wait till the IFA begins next month in order to find out if LG can bring anything more to the market through its plasma big screens, apart from the excellent black levels and color reproduction abilities.
