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AnandTech takes a long hard look at the MacBook Pro Retina Display
Not quite fully sated with the latest Apple updates from this year's WWDC? Without doubt, one of the most anticipated goodies to come from the keynote yesterday was the introduction of the MacBook Pro into the Retina Display-fold. We'll, of course, be giving all the new hardware our own thorough shakedown, but in the meantime, AnandTech has given that new display a detailed dissection. In summary: excellent brightness and solid black-levels fend off the glare, apps look amazing, upscaling will cover you in the meantime. For the full nitty-gritty though, number by number, be sure to hit up the source.
HD 101: What is local dimming?
One thing that makes covering LCD TVs so interesting is that the technology is always advancing and one innovation that might be the biggest in LCDs yet, is local dimming. But you're probably wondering, what is it exactly? Well in non-edgelit LED LCDs TV, there's an array of LED lights behind the liquid crystal pixels, and local dimming is when sections of the LED array are turned off or dimmed to help produce the deep blacks -- like Kuro deep. But while this tech can produce very deep blacks and fantastic contrast, there's a catch, it also create an artifact referred to as a halo around bright objects. Example: the two images above are of the opening scene of The Matrix (cops shining a flash light) it's pretty easy to tell which is the plasma and which is the LED LCD with local dimming. Of course we don't exactly watch movies with flash lights or star fields every night, so after the break are more pictures of a normal dark scene that also expose the artifact caused by local dimming (we have to point out that the camera makes it more drastic than it appears in reality). So while we wouldn't buy an LCD without local dimming, there's still a lot to look forward to in the next generation when the dimming is sure to become more local, and thus the artifact will be minimized. At the same time these advancements should help produce more detail in blacks, which is harder to notice at first, but just as annoying once you do. Just getting into HD? Check out these other HD 101 features: Overscan and why all TVs do it What is ATSC, PSIP, QAM, and 8-VSB? How to use Dolby TrueHD and DTS-HD with your PS3 Why there are black bars on HDTVs IR blasters, HDMI-CEC, RS-232 and IP control
Panasonic's response on shifting black levels in plasma HDTVs: 'There's nothing to fix'
Owners of Panasonic's recent plasma HDTVs have continued to push for more details on the "automatic control" the company cited as the cause of suddenly elevated black levels and it has revealed a few more details in an email exchange with CNET. Those hoping for some kind of patch or action in response to the changes will likely be disappointed however, as Senior VP Bob Perry put it, "there's nothing to fix." Citing trade secrets and a lack of a standard measure for black level performance, he also was unable to give any specifics about when the changes are designed to happen or by exactly how much. The company is promising technology in its 2010 models will offer a more gradual adjustment thanks to design adjustments, but that doesn't help current model owners left wondering if their set has, or will have in the future, degraded picture quality either by design or some software glitch. He did close by offering the olive branch of the VIERA Concierge Program for dissatisfied customers -- we'll see if a happy resolution for all is still within reach. [Thanks, Chris]
Panasonic cops to rising black levels in its plasma HDTVs, but questions still remain
Over the last several months complaints that Panasonic's plasma HDTVs experience sudden adverse changes in their black levels after a certain number of viewing hours have been piling up in an AVSForum thread, and now that behavior has been confirmed, though not very well explained, in a response the company sent to CNET today: In order to achieve the optimal picture performance throughout the life of the set, Panasonic Viera plasma HDTVs incorporate an automatic control which adjusts an internal driving voltage at predetermined intervals of operational hours. As a result of this automatic voltage adjustment, background brightness will increase from its initial value ... The newest Viera plasma HDTVs incorporate an improved automatic control which applies the voltage adjustments in smaller increments. This results in a more gradual change in the Black Level over time. Especially considering many buyers purchased their televisions specifically for those deep black levels, you can see why a TV suddenly going Sammy Sosa overnight would be upsetting. One of the reigning theories in the thread indicated by poster & calibrator D-Nice has been that this is by design, but a flaw in the settings caused the large jumps (around double the brightness, as measured by several owners light meters) instead of a much more subtle change. So what now for owners or potential buyers? Without more details about what is going on and whether or not anything can be done about it, like CNET's David Katzmeier, it's hard to see how we can continue to recommend these HDTVs for purchase without knowing what they will do months or years down the line. The ball is in Panasonic's court now, a speedy response could do a lot to assuage the concerns of current and potential owners. [Thanks to everyone who sent this in]
Don't let retailer's lights distract you from buying the right HDTV
In case you hadn't already learned your lesson and started checking behind the displays while HDTV shopping, the HD Guru points out another element of the in-store experience that throws off buyers (and likely contributes to the LCD vs. plasma choices we find so infuriating): lighting. In case you don't recall from your last trek to a big box superstore, the lighting is quite often stuck on blinding making it nearly impossible to discern any difference in picture quality between televisions, specifically in terms of contrast and black levels (the pictures above are of the same value priced display, at left, under normal home lighting, at right, how it looks under some store lighting setups.) Tested with an illuminance meter, all the stores (except Best Buy's Magnolia showrooms) averaged well above home ambient lighting levels, with Wal-Mart and Costco measuring the highest at 411.66 and 742.77 lux. Still, there's tips on how to get a good idea of a TV's black levels even under those circumstances, plus some choice words left over for the incredible (and useless) dynamic contrast ratio numbers every manufacturer trots out these days, so go ahead and get educated.
Samsung updates A950 LCD HDTVs, early adopters left frowning
So you went out and purchased a brand new LED-backlit A950-series HDTV after hearing such good things, did you? Guess what? It's already old hat. Okay, so maybe that's a bit extreme, but it doesn't change the fact that Samsung has already rolled out an updated version of the unit without providing an easy / free way for existing owners to get the upgrade. Reportedly, all A950s manufactured after September 20, 2008 have the upgrade; ones crafted before that, don't. The tweak raises the black levels in very dark scenes, improves shadow detail and eliminates some of the worst blooming effects. However, the "older" model still exhibits darker overall black levels, and according to CNET, the changes weren't drastic enough to warrant a revision to their original rating. Those looking to make a mountain out of a mole hill can probably kvetch enough to land some new hardware required for the update, but in all honesty, we'd probably just try and forget about it.
Second-generation Pioneer KURO unveiled: 5x deeper black levels
Quite a lot has gone on in Pioneer's world since it wowed us all with the Project KURO at CES, but one thing hasn't changed: it's dedication to world-class black levels. Announced alongside several other fine pieces of kit today in NYC, the 2008 KURO family will posses black levels "five times deeper than the previous KURO." According to company bigwig Paul Meyhoefer, the ultimate goal is "pure, absolute black," and it's well on its way with the latest line. You'll also find a feature dubbed Optimum Mode, which "simultaneously monitors video and room light conditions" and then makes the most appropriate adjustments based on what it senses. Sadly, most of the nitty-gritty details have been omitted for now, but you can count on the June-bound models checking in at just 3.7-inches thick, sporting 1080p panels alone (no 720p), coming in 50- ($4,000) / 60-inch ($5,500) sizes (no 42-inch) and arriving with a new remote / redesigned HD interface. Jump on past the break for the full release, but we're warning you, there's an awful lot of gloating down there. %Gallery-22348%
