Special report: IFA 2011
Epson launches video projector with iPod dock
The world’s largest LCD projection company ushered in five new models at IFA, led by a spectacular 3D unit, the EH-TW9000. However, it was a smaller model which threatened to steal the show. The MG-850HD is the first video projector to incorporate a pop out iPod/iPad dock. The projector, a 720P HD LCD model, even sports an integrated 10w stereo soundbar.
content playing oversized Angry Birds or scribbling doodles.
Glass-free 3D TV Toshiba used IFA to establish an early lead in the nascent glasses-free 3D TV market, with the announcement of its autostereoscopic 55inch ZL2. Due for European release at the end of the year, this extraordinary television offers 3D without the need for eyeware plus hitherto unseen levels of 2D picture clarity. That’s because it’s the first
consumer screen to offer 4K2K resolution (3840 x 2160 pixels). Dubbed Quad HD by Toshiba, the groundbreaking set uses the extra resolution to create nine 3D viewpoints. When not displaying 3D, the screen will upscale existing Full HD sources to Quad HD. The 3D picture performance of the ZL2 proved to be surprisingly good, confirming that the brand has made big strides since the launch of its first small-screen glasses-free 3D sets in Japan at the end of last year.
Sony personal 3D viewer
Haier learning Haier previewed two new TV ranges at show, both due early 2012, but that’s not what had people flocking to its CE booth. The real attraction was a bizarre transparent monitor. This 22 inch LCD curiosity was completely translucent – even with an image floating across the screen you could see right through it. Essentially an LCD panel without a backlight, the overall look was triumphantly futuristic. Given Haier is based in Paris and has a design centre in Italy that was probably always going to be the case. A related talking point on the Haier stand was a completely- wireless 55inch 3D TV prototype which employed WHDI (Wireless Home Digital Interface) video technology to receive sound and HD vision from a transmitting base unit. But not only did this set receive AV without wires – it didn’t require a mains lead either. Apparently the screen was powered by magnetic resonance coupling.
The future of television Where ever you looked, there was no shortage of jaw- dropping tech at IFA 2011. Arguably the most spectacular was Sharp’s 85inch 8K4K Super High Vision monitor. To see one of these in the wild is akin to spotting a Black Panther on Bodmin Moor. The screen was a prototype conforming to the Ultra High Definition Television (UHDTV) standard currently being developed by Japanese state broadcaster NHK. UHDTV has a pixel resolution of 7680 x 4320, that’s 33million pixels -16x higher than today’s Full HD screens. Experimental 8K4K broadcasts aren’t scheduled to begin in Japan until 2020, and content is predictably thin on the ground, however word is that NHK will be bringing a camera rig to the 2012 Olympics to shoot test footage.
If nothing else, the dazzling display stood as a mighty testament to Sharp’s panel- making prowess. Interestingly, this mega-display doesn’t use
Haier transparent monitor
October 2011 The Independent Electrical Retailer 13
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