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Toshiba's glasses-free 3D 4K2K TV launches in Europe as the ZL2 this December
If you've been waiting for someone to take the glasses part out of the current 3D TV viewing experience, Toshiba has finally put a launch date on its glasses-free 3D TV. The world's first to be available to the public at the size, the ZL2 will take its place at the top of the company's range of sets when it launches this December in Germany (no word yet on other European countries, or anywhere else for that matter) complete with an LED-backlit QuadHD resolution (3,840 x 2,160) LCD panel and Cell-processor based CEVO engine technology within. Check out the press release after the break for more of the specs, no word yet on how much it will cost but the glasses-based 3D ZL1 it's replacing was rocking a £4,000 price tag. Update: We have a price, as Toshiba's German press site currently mentions the set will cost 7,999 euros when the 55-inch version launches. We're figuring you can afford a couple of pairs of active shutter glasses instead at that price, but at least it's still a 4K screen, right? [Thanks, Daniel]
Toshiba Cell Regza 55X1 and Regza Next concepts hands-on (video)
Now that the Cell-powered cat's out the bag, we had a chance to get up close and personal with a number of its 55-inch Cell Regza 55X1 LCD TVs on hand at the CEATEC show floor. It's certainly not the thinnest flat-screen panel, but the screen was crisp and colors bright. The Cell and most of the heavy duty components were housed in a separate Cell Box -- frankly, it was disappointing just how large the box was, out-sizing even the original PlayStation 3. For reasons that weren't quite made clear to us, the 3TB of storage were divided among four separate drives, two 1TB and two 500GB. None of them are accessible, leaving you only an external USB drive as an expansion option. Frankly, the real draw here (at least the multitaskers inside of us) is eight-window display function and hyper-fast channel scrolling, which in our time with the TV worked great without a hitch. Also on hand were the four Cell Regza Next concept models. There's not much to say about the entertainment server and the all-in-one, but we do have to give credit to the 4K2K TV for the expected visual quality. The 3D unit was showing off a hands-only motion-controlled user interface, demonstrated only by a Toshiba rep, that seemed to have a few technical hiccups. As we've said before (Natal, anyone?), waving your arms is a fun concept, but here we're not yet sold on the usefulness over novelty of it -- something Toshi can mull over between now and at whatever point in the future it plans on upgrading it beyond concept phase. Video of the 55X1 and the conceptual 3D UI after the break. %Gallery-74643% %Gallery-74648%
Panasonic delivering HDMI 1.4 cables in Japan next month: $42 for 1 meter
It's unlikely you have any HDMI 1.4 equipped 1080p 3D, or 4K/2K capable equipment laying around the house, but that hasn't stopped Panasonic from rolling out these high speed cables already, just announced in Japan. Expected to launch August 27, they range in length from 1m to 10m, and in price from ¥4,000 ($42) to ¥20,000 ($210.) Sure you could import them just to stunt on your Monster Cable owning friends, but somehow we suspect most will be waiting for these to hit Monoprice, Blue Jeans Cable and the like, oh, and for equipment that can actually take advantage of their extra capabilities.[Via AV Watch]
JVC ships 4k x 2k DLA-SH4K 10-megapixel HD projector
Well, took 'em long enough! Just about a year after JVC initially demonstrated the 4k x 2k DLA-SH4K projector, the firm has finally got up the courage to begin shipments. The beastly device is based on the company's proprietary 1.27-inch 10 megapixel D-ILA technology and provides a brain-melting native 4,096 x 2,400 resolution. Packed within is a 825-Xenon lamp that generates light output of 3,500 ANSI lumens (and likely murders your energy bill). 'Round back, you'll find four DVI-D (dual-link) terminals, an RS-232C port, USB connections and an Ethernet jack for making adjustments via a web browser. We are told it's available immediately, though we aren't told the price; chances are we couldn't fit that many zeros into this space, anyway. Full release is waiting beyond the break.
Reminder: Quad HD doesn't make everything look better
Look, we wouldn't want to be paused for your wicked, Quad HD amusement either. But seeing such a vivid demo on JVC's 4K2K (4,096 x 2,400), super high definition LCD as we strolled through IFA's digital playground reminded us of something: maybe not everything looks better in Quad HD. Think about it before you hustle on over to Japan for Panasonic's 150-inch Quad HD set next year. All juvenility aside, the image above was created using JVC's "soon to arrive" ultra high-definition player attached over dual-link DVI to the 4k2k display. The video uses MPEG-4AVC compression to convert the 6Gbps original 4K source into 50Mbps. More pics in the gallery below.%Gallery-30768%
