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Lytro software update lets you view images in 3D
A nice little, erm, shift in focus for everyone's favorite consumer-facing light field camera. Thanks to a software update to the desktop and iOS versions of the camera's app, users will be able to display Perspective Shifted images in three dimensions using 3D-enabled TV. Lytro Desktop 3.1 and Lytro Mobile 1.2 are available for your downloading pleasure today. The company also marked the release of a Cobalt Blue version of the camera. You'll only be able to pick that one up through Apple's site.
This week on gdgt: 3D televisions, Sonos Play:1 and the state of Nintendo
Each week, our friends at gdgt go through the latest gadgets and score them to help you decide which ones to buy. Here are some of their most recent picks and discussions. Want more? Visit gdgt anytime to catch up on the latest, and subscribe to gdgt's newsletter to get a weekly roundup in your inbox.
Switched On: A 4K in the road
Each week Ross Rubin contributes Switched On, a column about consumer technology. The past decade has now seen at least three industry-wide technologies vie for the future of television -- HD, 3D and now 4K or UHD. The first of these -- HD -- represented a massive change for television that affected nearly every aspect of the TV experience from how it was captured to how it was consumed. A decade later, it is nearly impossible to purchase a TV that does not support high-definition. The second -- 3D -- was a mixed bag. While the technology became commonplace on high-end TVs, it has remained relevant for only a small fraction of programming. The question, then, is which of these paths, if either, 4K will follow.
Lionsgate teams up with Samsung to convert more films to 3D, starts with Gamer, Crank and Bangkok Dangerous
Got a 3D TV? You've probably noticed that not all depth perception is equal. It's true, not all films have the privilege of being shot in 3D -- many are converted in post production, and more still make the switch years after their initial release. Lionsgate and Samsung are planning to expand the latter category. Using Sammy's proprietary 3D processing technology, the two firms will dimensionalize a handful of films from Lionsgate's catalog, starting with Gamer, Bangkok Dangerous, Crank, and The Descent. More title are on the way too, slated for future release on DVD and Blu-ray. Groundbreaking? No, but worthwhile for 3D connoisseurs. After all, 3D conversion served Star Wars, I, Robot and Disney well enough, didn't it?
LG's 84-inch 4K TV goes on sale in the US for $19,999, home mortgage optional
Sony might have beaten LG to the punch in the 84-inch 4K TV wars with its XBR-84X900 pre-orders, but you've got to be on the field to win -- and the first to show up for battle is LG's 84LM9600, which is officially on sale and in stores as of today. Anyone who can find a retailer carrying the Ultra High-Definition LCD can drop $19,999 to get what will undoubtedly be the centerpiece of the room, even if there's hardly any content to fully exploit those six million extra pixels. LG does have a $5,000 price advantage over the Sony 4K set shipping next month, although we won't kid ourselves here. Anyone who can see themselves spending five digits on bleeding-edge TV technology is either wealthy enough not to mind or busy explaining to the family why home refinancing is totally worth it.
Sharp announces first TVs with Moth-Eye technology: the AQUOS XL series
Sharp may look like it's in trouble, but that's not stopping it bringing new displays to the market, including today's announcement of the AQUOS Quattron 3D XL TV line. Behind the mouthful of acronyms, these LED-backlit LCD panels are the first to feature Sharp's Moth-Eye technology, designed to reduce glare and pump out bright colors, as well as a deep black. The company's 'four primary color' tech is partly responsible for the rich output, which squeezes a yellow sub-pixel in with the standard R, G and B. All the panels run at 1,920 x 1,080, as you'd expect, sport a 10 million to 1 contrast ratio and use five speakers to deliver audio. Prices aren't fixed, but the 46-, 52- and 80-inch models will be released in Japan on December 15th, while the 60- and 70-inch variants will come slightly earlier, on November 30th. You're going to have to be quick on launch day, though -- only 10,000 units are expected to be available in the first month.
LG records a 'solid' $138.57 million net profit for Q3, keeps the positive trend going
LG Electronics has reported its earnings for Q3 2012, notching its third straight quarter of positive income with a net profit of 157 billion won ($138.57 million) and "solid" performances from its home theater and mobile businesses. Revenue is down from the same period last year, but seeing as it's actually making money this time around it's probably still reason to celebrate. On the mobile side of the aisle it reports an operating profit of $19.42 million with slightly higher sales than Q2, mostly thanks to those LTE smartphones it's been rolling out. Its home entertainment biz noted a rise in LCD sales, with 3D TVs and LED-lit models growing from last quarter in most markets. Looking towards the future it's obviously going all-in on the Optimus G (although our interests run towards the Nexus G that should debut next week), and also looks for its Ultra HD television to raise its standing as a premium brand. Check the press release after the break and PDF linked below for more numbers if that's your thing.
Lytro camera getting parallax effect and 3D display support, lands in Hong Kong (video)
Lytro isn't done extending the usefulness of its light field camera just because we have manual controls. Another update due by the end of the year will take advantage of that focus-independent sensor to allow a parallax-based 3D effect in photos: invoke a 'full' focus in reviewing shots and you can start poking around the scene in a limited way without having ever touched a dual-sensor camera. Appropriately, we're also getting support for examining photos on 3D monitors and TVs that emphasize the added depth. The promised features come hand-in-hand with Lytro's immediate availability in Hong Kong, where 8GB blue and gray cameras are selling for $3,888 HKD ($502 US) and the 16GB red model goes for $4,688 HKD ($605). Check out our Chinese crew's eyes-on look at the parallax effect in a video after the break.
Sony, Discovery and IMAX launch 3net Studios to produce in-house 3D content
If you've spent all of this effort launching an All-3D channel, it's probably wise to ensure you've got enough content to keep your schedules full. That's why 3net founders Sony, Discovery and IMAX are teaming up to launch 3net Studios, with facilities opening in California and Maryland. The new business will be used to bring together the best and brightest minds in stereoscopic media to produce footage for the channel. It'll begin announcing the first projects in the next few weeks, but unless there's space for a 3D version of Dan Harmon's Community, we won't be listening.
LG's 84-inch UD 3D TV makes its formal IFA debut, we go hands-on (video)
Here's yet another 84-inch 4K TV, this time from LG. The company's 84LM9600 was announced last week and has already started shipping in Korea, but it's here at IFA and poised to hit the market worldwide. Priced at about $22,105, this display is big in every way. You get a resolution of 3,840 x 2,160 -- four times the resolution of existing full HD panels -- and what LG calls "3D sound" thanks to 2.2 integrated channel speakers. 3D is courtesy of the company's passive glasses technology. So how does that all look? We spotted the set during LG's booth tour today. At first it seemed like "just another" 84-inch 4K TV (the form-factor seems to have exploded within the last week), but this flavor is rigged for three-dimensional viewing as well. You'll need to view 2D content in order to take advantage of the full resolution, and the picture in this mode seemed to be on par with the competition, based on our quick peek at IFA. And how about 3D? The passive picture was consistent with the company's other sets, just, well, much much larger. Will you be making room for this massive set in your living room? You might want to take a closer look in our hands-on photos below before pulling out that credit card. Follow all of our IFA 2012 coverage by heading to our event hub! %Gallery-163857%
LG announces 27-inch Personal Smart TV ahead of IFA
No room in your apartment for LG's upcoming 84-inch monster? Don't worry, the Korean outfit has something in your size, as well. The company's TM2792 promises the same Cinema 3D passive glasses technology as its big brother in a more compact 27-inch frame. The tube also promises to play nice with your other devices, featuring a MHL and WiDi for screen and content sharing. No word on pricing yet, but LG says the Personal Smart TV should land in European markets this September. Hit the break for the official press release, or sit tight: LG is bound to reveal more at the TV's official IFA debut.
4K, 84-inch 'ultra' HDTV from LG is ready to start shipping now in Korea, worldwide next month
Just in time to completely blow away that puny flat screen you nabbed for your dorm room, LG has announced its 84-inch ultra high definition LCD TV is ready to ship in South Korea. The company put its first UHDTV up for pre-ordering last month, at a price of 25 million won, which currently converts to about $22,105 US. The 84LM9600 does 3D with LG's Cinema 3D passive glasses technology, however its ultra high pixel count means you're still watching in 1080p even with the resolution loss since it starts at 3,840 x 2,160, and also features "3D sound" with integrated 2.2 channel speakers. The bad news of course is that finding actual 4K res content is practically impossible, despite recent work on standards and even some testing by broadcasters. Still, plug this into a BDP-S790 Blu-ray player, certain PS3 apps or just output the latest video you've shot and it should be worth the price of admission, assuming you're one of the (presumably) well-heeled Korean VIP customers that managed to snag one so far. If you're not then don't worry -- the press release (included after the break) reveals you'll have your chance once they start shipping worldwide in September, we plan to get our eyes on a production model at IFA 2012 in Germany.
3D@Home Consortium and International 3D Society combine, don't make 6D
There are lots of companies behind that 3D content you ogle at the cinema or at home, and all of them are likely to be members of the International 3D Society or the 3D@Home Consortium. Both of these bodies have the same goal -- growing the worldwide 3D industry -- and now they've joined forces to become the creatively named "International 3D Society & 3D@Home." The name might have changed (kind of), but the aim is still to support everyone that has a hand in creating content, software, hardware or deals with the behind-the-scenes logistics to get 3D to your tellybox, school and workplace. They also seek to educate us, the eager consumers, on the magic of three dimensions and to make sure we "feel comfortable" with the cinema sorcery. Is it a good thing for the industry? Certainly, but will it make us don our active 3D spectacles more frequently? Probably not.
Stream TV strikes deal with Hisense, outlines plans for real glasses-free 3D display
Stream TV has been touting its Ultra-D glasses-free 3D tech for quite some time now, but we've still yet to see anything resembling a marketable product. The company's already snagged one manufacturing deal, but in the latest announcement of a partnership with Hisense it's revealed the specs of an actual device -- a 42-inch 1080p display. If you think the details end there... well, you'd be right, although the numbers do suggest something tangible is indeed in the pipeline. We might find out more at IFA 2012 where Stream TV will be showing off its latest gear, so here's to hoping. And, if you'd like more info on the Stream TV / Hisense agreement, the full PR is available after the break.
MIT Media Lab's Tensor Displays stack LCDs for low-cost glasses-free 3D (hands-on video)
Glasses-free 3D may be the next logical step in TV's evolution, but we have yet to see a convincing device make it to market that doesn't come along with a five-figure price tag. The sets that do come within range of tickling our home theater budgets won't blow you away, and it's not unreasonable to expect that trend to continue through the next few product cycles. A dramatic adjustment in our approach to glasses-free 3D may be just what the industry needs, so you'll want to pay close attention to the MIT Media Lab's latest brew. Tensor Displays combine layered low-cost panels with some clever software that assigns and alternates the image at a rapid pace, creating depth that actually looks fairly realistic. Gordon Wetzstein, one of the project creators, explained that the solution essentially "(takes) the complexity away from the optics and (puts) it in the computation," and since software solutions are far more easily scaled than their hardware equivalent, the Tensor Display concept could result in less expensive, yet superior 3D products. We caught up with the project at SIGGRAPH, where the first demonstration included four fixed images, which employed a similar concept as the LCD version, but with backlit inkjet prints instead of motion-capable panels. Each displaying a slightly different static image, the transparencies were stacked to give the appearance of depth without the typical cost. The version that shows the most potential, however, consists of three stacked LCD panels, each displaying a sightly different pattern that flashes back and forth four times per frame of video, creating a three-dimensional effect that appears smooth and natural. The result was certainly more tolerable than the glasses-free 3D we're used to seeing, though it's surely a long way from being a viable replacement for active-glasses sets -- Wetzstein said that the solution could make its way to consumers within the next five years. Currently, the technology works best in a dark room, where it's able to present a consistent image. Unfortunately, this meant the light levels around the booth were a bit dimmer than what our camera required, resulting in the underexposed, yet very informative hands-on video you'll see after the break.%Gallery-162096%
LG Q2 2012 earnings show a loss on cellphones, but higher profits overall thanks to home theater
LG has released its earnings statement for the Q2 2012 period, the claim of "turning a corner" in Q1 has just managed to hold up as it registered net profits of $138 million, up 46 percent from the same period last year. Revenues, while higher than Q1, were actually down from last year and blamed on declines in featurephone sales and slow sales of IT products. The mobile division also struggled after a strong Q1 and took an operating loss, however the positive takeaways are a rising percentage of smartphone shipments and plans to launch new LTE-connected models in North America (we've spotted the likely Spectrum 2 for Verizon already), Europe and Asia later this year. The good news for the home theater segment continued however, with an operating profit of more than double last year at $187.5 million despite slightly lower sales due to an increase in sales of premium products like its Cinema 3D HDTVs, which it expects to become the "top global seller" in the 3D segment. There's more details in the press release after the break or PDF linked below if you need more numbers.
Virgin Media coats millionth TiVo in Gold (Gold!), always believed in your soul
Companies might not be able to mention that big sporting event, but that doesn't stop them from being clever. Virgin Media UK is one such enterprise, which decided to award its millionth TiVo customer with a gold medal in the form of a similarly-colored TiVo box. Rather than risk the ire of the IOC's lawyers, the company used the moment to (perhaps sarcastically) celebrate the release of Spandau Ballet's Gold. Bundling bassist-turned-soap-star Martin Kemp into a van, he turned up at the door of customers Allan and Christine Ward with the glistening PVR and a 3D-ready TV to surprise the couple. We don't know if he told the husband and wife from Nottinghamshire that the HDTV market is like a high prison wall, but we hope the gift of a new home entertainment system leaves them standing so tallllllllllll...
Samsung 75-inch ES9000 smart TV makes stateside debut: on sale in August for $9,999
The mammoth 75-inch ES9000 LED smart TV that Samsung recently unveiled for the Korean market is making its way stateside. Today the 3D-capable, LED-backlit set was on display in New York as part of the Sammy-sponsored SpaceFest marking the Space Shuttle Enterprise's arrival at the Intrepid. How smart TVs relate to Space Shuttle orbiters is beyond us, but the ES9000's US debut is welcome news for those with a massive living room to fill, and were disappointed after the ES8000 75-incher shown at CES and even given a price tag earlier this year failed to materialize. Detailed specs are currently MIA, but as we noted before in our hands-on, the 75-incher's bezel measures just 0.31 inches, and the frame sports a rose-gold finish. There's also a built-in web camera that retracts when not in use, and the TV comes with four pairs of 3D glasses. Being a smart TV, this guy also includes the full suite of Smart TV features, such as Smart Interaction for enabling gesture and voice controls and Smart Content for sharing media across several devices. Samsung also used today's occasion to introduce a new Angry Birds app for its smart TVs, which lets users play the game entirely with gesture controls. The app will be available for a free download later this month, and the ES9000 will go on sale in August for a super-sized price of $9.999. Check out the PR below for more info.
DirecTV quietly shifts n3D channel from 24/7 to part-time broadcasts
Nearly two years after launching its n3D channel broadcasting 3D content around the clock, DirecTV has reduced the channel to part-time programing hours as of June 1st. Whether the change is due to a lack of fresh content or viewer adoption is unclear and DirecTV's bland statement about waiting for both to grow doesn't hint either way, that the change had gone largely unreported for nearly a month does not bode well. In the meantime, 3Net and ESPN 3D continue to broadcast unabated with the latter going live from Wimbledon this week, and DirecTV has confirmed it will be airing tape delayed 3D footage from the Olympics provided by NBC this summer. After seeing all the early HD-only channels fall by the wayside we're not at all surprised to see this one go dark at least part-time, but the question will be whether 3D uptake is fast enough to keep broadcasters interested going forward. [Thanks, KM]
Understanding Sony's lessened focus on 3D at this year's E3
During last year's Sony E3 press conference, the company spent quite a bit of time talking 3D. Several titles were on the horizon with 3D support, including main entries in series like Uncharted and Killzone. Since then, the company toned down its approach to 3D integration.Sony Senior VP of Product Development and Worldwide Studios Scott Rohde doesn't see the change as so stark. "It's just not necessarily the focus and newsworthy. Last year it was," he told Joystiq during an interview this week. Due to an internal initiative within Sony last year, 3D became a main talking point of its E3 showing – that's simply no longer the case, Rohde said. "A couple years back, even three years ago, because PlayStation is a big pillar in the overall Sony structure, Sony and Kaz [Hirai] came to us and said, 'Hey, we know that you guys can make a big impact by showing a lot of things on 3D.' So we're sort of the fire starter, if you will," Rohde said.Now that the fire's been started, however, it doesn't look like PlayStation has to keep it going. Beyond God of War: Ascension, Sports Champions 2, and LittleBigPlanet Karting, no other 3D titles have been announced for the PlayStation 3. Rohde chalks that up to Sony's internal development studios having autonomy, despite company-wide initiatives last year. "If it's going to enhance an experience, then absolutely. But if it's not core to the experience, then it's not gonna be a focus," he said.But if that's the case, and internal studios aren't embracing 3D on their own, it stands to reason that 3D wasn't the success story Sony hoped for. As you might imagine, Rohde doesn't agree. "I don't look at it that way, because it enhances some games better than it does others," he said. Rohde compared it to 3D in film. "I'll show up and I'll watch some in 3D or some not. Honestly, for me, it almost depends on when movie times are. If it's a convenient movie time, I'll go see the 3D one, right? But it's kind of the same thing – the same thing is kind of occurring with games as well."
