The HDTVs of CES 2012
If there's one product category that always takes center stage at CES it's televisions, and this year was no different. We saw an incredible variety of products, from stunning OLED displays and 4K prototypes, to new 3D models that could be in your living room later this year. We've collected all of the news and our hands-on impressions, so you can take a look at what's just around the corner — and what might end up becoming your next purchase.
Vizio will jump on the 4K TV bandwagon, but not this year (hands-on)
Vizio doesn't have any 4K TVs yet, but it was showing off an 84-inch prototype showcasing the next resolution bump at CES this week. When we say prototype, we mean not even close to production — you can't see it in the photos, but the TV had a seam down the middle that became noticeable when there was motion across it. It was difficult to judge the quality of the higher resolution because most of the content displayed on it wasn't 4K. The TV doesn't have a name, and it's not remotely close...
CES 2012
The best of Samsung's 2012 TV lineup: 75-inch Series 8 LED, 55-inch OLED, and 4K prototype display
As per usual, Samsung announced a boatload of TVs during its press conference earlier in the week, so we hit the floor to pull out the highlights. The most stunning display was certainly the 55-inch OLED prototype, which we heard should be on sale by the 2nd half of the year. The viewing angles were superb, the bezel was nearly invisible, and the back was essentially a giant metal mirror — certainly one of the nicest products we've seen this week. As for products shipping sooner, Samsung's...
HD & Home
Sony still working on OLED display tech, developing Crystal LED 'in parallel'
LG and Samsung are showing off crazy next-gen OLED TV prototypes here at CES, but Sony went another way with its Crystal LED prototype — it's extremely impressive, with nearly 90-degree viewing angles, but it's also prompted a lot of rumors that Sony's abandoning OLED TVs for the consumer market. We asked for clarification and it seems the truth is a little different: Sony says that Crystal LED will be developed in "parallel" to OLED for future consumer and professional applications. We...
HD & Home
On the floor at LG: an 84-inch 4K prototype, and the 1mm-bezel LM9600
We've been walking around LG's booth at CES and one of the biggest draws here is the company's 84-inch 4K monster panel. The display, marked "84UD," is a 3840x2160-pixel LCD with 8 million-color pixels and LED edge lighting, and FPR (passive) 3D. Inside, the behemoth has built-in Blu-ray to 4K upconversion and LG's Smart TV platform. A rep on the floor told us that we can expect the TV in stores in the second half of 2012.
The company had the rest of its 2012 lineup laid out, and we also...
HD & Home
Samsung Smart TV with 'Smart Interaction' (hands-on video)
We just got a chance to check out Samsung's Smart TV tech at CES 2012, and we've got a hands-on video for you. The TV features Samsung's "Smart Interaction" tech, using two unidirectional mics and an integrated webcam for motion and voice control — users can turn the TV on or off, change the volume, activate apps, and search the web. The TV can also identify users with face recognition via the integrated webcam. Be sure to check out our Samsung storystream for more information on their...
CES 2012
Panasonic's 2012 Smart Viera plasma HDTVs offer improved panels, expand app ecosystem
Panasonic remains one of the last manufacturers using plasma displays in consumer HDTVs, yet if its presence here at CES is any indication, the company remains fully invested in the technology. Its 2012 Viera plasma lineup totals 17 products in all, grouped into six product lines — U50, XT50, UT50, ST50, GT5, and the signature VT50 series. Self-illuminating panels are utilized in all devices, providing the deep black levels that have garnered Panasonic a loyal following of home theater...
HD & Home
Haier Transparent OLED TV hands-on
A 22-inch television may not sound that interesting — but what if you can see right through it? Haier is showing off just such a device here at CES, as part of its "Future Technologies" portfolio of products. As you can tell from the gallery below, this isn't a television aimed at the living room: it packs a resolution of 1680 x 1050 with 8-bit color depth, and it requires an external backlight to render images in any conventional sense. Haier sees it being used in commercial applications,...
HD & Home
Vizio reveals new line-up of 3D HDTVs, expands app market selection
Vizio has announced new models in its line of 3D-capable high-definition LCD televisions, while increasing the number of titles available on its Vizio Internet Apps platform. The televisions range from 32-inch to 65-inch models, all feature built-in Wi-Fi, and utilize the company's passive "Theater 3D" technology, which it claims provides a 3D viewing experience without the nasty headaches and sore eyes we've come to expect. The entry level E-Series includes 32-, 42-, and 47-inch models,...
HD & Home
Vizio introduces CinemaWide HDTV lineup featuring theater-like 21:9 aspect ratio
Vizio is pursuing every segment of the home theater market at this year's CES. Along with announcing an updated line of mainstream HDTVs, the company has introduced a premium collection of HDTVs known as CinemaWide. That name is a natural fit for the LCD sets, which the manufacturer touts as the world's first to utilize an aspect ratio of 21:9 (something Philips may disagree with). Such unique dimensions allow movies shot in CinemaScope — the predominant method used by today's filmmakers...
HD & Home
Sony Crystal LED Display prototype pictures, videos, and impressions
It's the viewing angles, really. Sony's 55-inch Crystal LED display prototype is an impressive piece, but being able to view clearly from near-90 degree angles, color intact, is quite a spectacle in person. We did our best to recapture it that from the showfloor of Sony's CES 2012 booth, which you can view in the gallery below. We spent some time watching a series of slides and video clips on the device, both in bright light and in a more cavernous unit next to an LCD TV. The colors were more...
HD & Home
Samsung: Super OLED 55-inch TV on sale 'second half of the year'
Samsung just joined LG here at CES 2012 with the introduction of its own 55-inch OLED TV. Like its Korean cousin, Samsung promises accurate color reproduction and "true-to-life picture quality" — not the typical hallmarks of oversaturated OLED panels. Super OLED features self-emitting RGB sub-pixels and is faster than LED, according to Samsung, "virtually eliminating motion blur." The TV also features the company's new "Smart Interaction" technology for TV control, relying upon two...
CES 2012
Lenovo K91 Smart TV demo (hands-on pictures and video)
We just got a chance to play with Lenovo's recently announced K91 Smart TV here at CES 2012. If you'll recall, the 55-inch 3D-enabled IPS television is running a skinned version of Android 4.0 ICS, has a webcam built into the bezel, and is powered by a 1.5GHz dual-core Snapdragon processor.
The television comes with two remote controls, a traditional-style remote and gamepad. The traditional remote has a built-in microphone that allows for voice commands, such as 'volume up' and the ability...
CES 2012
LG 55-inch OLED TV first video and pictures
It's real, people! LG's mythical 55-inch OLED TV was just unveiled here at CES 2012, and honestly, it's even more amazing than the words "55-inch OLED" would lead you to believe. It was making love to our eyes for half the press conference after the sheet was whipped off, and now that we've had a chance to get up close for a better look, we're even more impressed. Honestly, we can't wait to see what Samsung will counter with later on at CES.
LG has been tight-lipped around specs, only telling...
CES 2012
Toshiba Regza QFHD glasses-free 3D TV hands-on
Toshiba announced earlier today that its 55-inch Quad Full HD glasses-free 3D TV was coming to the US later in the first quarter, and we got a second chance to play with one here at CES 2012 — we first saw it back at IFA. QFHD isn't quite 4K, but it still looked pretty amazing in person — leaves have never looked so much like leaves, models have never looked so much like people, that sort of thing. The glasses-free 3D was also pretty effective — a tiny camera in the base tracks your...
CES 2012
Toshiba announces L7200 and L6200 3D smart TV series (hands-on)
Toshiba's taking the wraps off a pair of high-end 3D TVs at CES this week, the L7200 and L6200. Both TVs feature the incredibly thin bezels that we're seeing from most manufacturers this year; the L7200 comes in 47- and 55-inch models with a 240Hz response rate, while the L6200 comes in 42-, 47-, and 55-inch models at 120Hz. They're also both running passive 3D, which eliminates the need for bulkier, battery-powered glasses; they also feature TriVector 2D-to-3D conversion technology (though...
CES 2012
Lenovo K91 brings Android 4.0 to the world's most advanced 55-inch TV
Lenovo's K91 is not your normal 55-inch television. To start with, its two most notable features are its operating system and central processor: Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich running on Qualcomm's 1.5GHz dual-core 8060 Snapdragon CPU. The TV can be controlled with your voice using natural language processing and recognition, and even includes video interaction (with facial recognition) thanks to a 5 megapixel webcam that's integrated into the bezel. Otherwise, the K91 remote control is up to...
LG Cinema Screen Design thins out HDTV bezel to 1mm
LG's CES 2012 presence will be highlighted by a new Cinema Screen Design, featuring a 1mm bezel. The new design language and extremely thin display frame echo the DM92 3D monitor teased recently and will debut on LG's new 3D Smart TVs. The company believes the nearly nonexistent bezel will help immerse viewers more fully into the 3D experience, though we're most psyched to see a couple of these new HDTVs side by side. New Cinema 3D glasses will also be introduced, weighing 20 percent less...
CES 2012
Toshiba confirms 55-inch QFHD glasses-free 3DTV for the US, shipping Q1 2012 for oodles of cash
You won't have to envy Europe and Japan much longer, if you had your heart set on a pricy 55-inch autostereoscopic 3DTV with nearly four times the resolution of existing sets: Toshiba confirmed to Engadget and CNET that just such a television will hit the United States in the first quarter of next year. Details were scarce and Toshiba hasn't provided a price yet, but if you're curious what other specifications might be on tap, look no further than Toshiba's existing Regza 55X3 and 55ZL2,...
HD & Home
LG Smart TV with Google TV detailed: polarized 3D, QWERTY remote
LG will be showing off its first Google TV products at CES 2012, and it's just announced some of the first details: the LG Smart TV with Google TV will come in two series when it launches later in the year, both of which will feature Cinema 3D polarized 3D displays that don't require expensive active-shutter LCD glasses to work — you can just wear passive glasses like at the movie theater. LG's also bundling in a QWERTY version of its Magic Remote, creatively called the Magic Remote Qwerty,...
