October 2024
ertonline.co.uk
27
A few years later, the first flat TV displays were unveiled, alongside home receivers for satellite TV services. Innovations in UHD and HDR, Hi- Res Audio and immersive sound, all followed. Back then, IFA was actually a biannual event; from 1950 to 2005 it only ran every other year – presumably this was to enable visitors enough time to recover from its sheer size!
AI everywhere
Dominating its 100th anniversary was AI, in all manner of guises. There was a preponderance of four-legged robots, copious drones and even a smattering of EV. It’s not just the types of tech that are changing, there has been a changing of the brand guard too. Sony, Philips and JBL may have been conspicuous by their absence, but rivals were quick to fill the vacuum. TCL impressed with its X11 QD-Mini LED
TV; its immersive 6.2.2 acoustic audio by Bang & Olufsen includes Enhanced Dialogue Mode and BeoSonic technology, allowing users to customise their sound profiles.
TCL suggests that the X11 is capable of a peak HDR brightness of 6,600 nits, and it certainly shone on the IFA booth. But this set isn’t just about eye candy for cinephiles. The X11 also boasts a 240Hz Game Accelerator, AMD FreeSync Premium Pro Certification and a bunch of specialised gaming features, including 144Hz VRR, and Game Bar. Gaming is now a huge reason why consumers upgrade their TV. Video projectors were everywhere too, often coming in innovative form factors. LG used IFA to promote its 4K mini projector, the CineBeam Q. First seen at CES at the start of the year, and featuring a 360-degree rotatable handle that doubles as a stand, this bijou beamer is able to cast an impressively large 4K resolution image, bright enough for use during daytime and in a darkened cinema room. The CineBeam Q has the webOS smart platform built in, offering all the usual streaming service apps. It’s also compatible with AirPlay 2.
While its performance is unlikely to satisfy home cinema enthusiasts, I feel certain this
novel model will expand interest in the projection category generally. It’s a doddle to use, and great for impromptu big screen sports events, and the occasional movie night. It’ll certainly delight the kids on their next sleepover.
Huge projections for projectors XGIMI is another innovator in the home projection market. At IFA it launched two new models – the portable MoGo 3 Pro weighs just 1.1kg, and looks to be a great option for outdoor viewing. It features a 360-degree 5W sound system designed by Harman/Kardon, and can be run off a power bank. The LED projector is built around the Google TV smart platform, but there’s an Ambient Light Mode that allows the projector to double as a Bluetooth speaker. The MoGo Pro 3 was joined at IFA by the XGIMI AURA 2, a high-end 4K ultra short throw projector using Dual Light 2.0 technology, a ‘Wide Spectrum + Narrow Spectrum’ hybrid light source. It’s the latest in what appears to be a growing category of Laser TVs. A projector brand that is new to me, and possibly also new to IFA, is Yaber. It aimed to attract attention with a limited edition portable model with livery designed in collaboration with a graffiti artist. The main talking point though was the sound system built into its flagship K3 Series projector. JBL is supplying a 15W stereo system, which remarkably also finds room for a subwoofer. The Yaber K3 Pro also boasts CoolSwift cooling technology, which is essentially a U-shaped heat sink designed to stop the device overheating. Clearly, this is a brand to watch. >>
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