New Toshiba Screen Lets You Bend to Zoom in Google Earth [Flexible Display]

Toshiba is showing off a novel user input case for its flexible LCD screen: you can physically bend the screen to zoom in or out in Google Earth. Shown off at the Society for Information Display 2010 Conference, the bend sensor in the display changes resistance values as the screen is flexed.
The 8.4-inch LCD panel is only 0.1 mm thick and displays at an SVGA resolution of 800 x 600 pixels. Custom software from Toshiba handles the translation between changes in the bend sensor’s resistance values and the level of zoom in the aerial Google Earth display.
It’s a surprisingly simple gesture that looks awfully intuitive. Check out a video of the flexible display in action below and let us know what you think. Do you want to see consumer devices begin to incorporate flexible displays?




[Mashable via Engadget]

Slow Mo' Video: PS3 Smashes Into Bravia TV at 50 MPH [Image Cache]

For an upcoming ad campaign, Sony Australia used a vehicle safety testing facility to ram the 7-pound PS3 Slim into the face of a Bravia KDL46X LCD TV. The results are hypnotizing. [Gizmodo via Gizmag]

New Sharp LCD technology will save power, boost picture quality

Sharp Japan today announced [press release in English] the development of a new method that makes it possible to control the alignment of liquid crystal molecules in LCD screens with high precision. In practical terms, this means the new UV²A technology could lead to TVs that save energy and display pictures with higher contrast ratios.

The main idea is to use a special material that reacts to UV radiation. The liquid crystal molecules align in accordance with the direction of the radiation so that the screen can display dark blacks. Sharp says the the contrast ratio is enhanced by 60% to 5,000:1, compared with conventional LCD screens. The response time is even doubled, according to the company. The new technology also leads to a more efficient use of the backlight, which means you can save up to 20% energy when you watch TV.

Sharp says production of LCDs making use of the new system will begin in a Japanese plant as early as next month.

JVC's LT-32WX50 Is Insanely Thin, Insanelier Expensive [Displays]

I'm not sure you could ever call a 32-inch monitor portable, but if you could, the JVC LT-32WX50 fits the bill. Aside from the LCD's 1/4-inch (6.4mm) depth, the display weighs but 12.5 pounds.
And with a 4000:1 contrast ratio along with a 90 percent of Adobe RGB color gamut, the picture should be pretty great, too, fed into 2 HDMI inputs along with a VGA if you'd prefer.
Of course, there's always a catch.

For one, we don't know the resolution beyond that it's 'exceptionally high.' That could mean 1080P. That could mean 4-bajillion-K. That could mean...you know, it's not defined. Plus, it's $3,000 this November. I'm can't know the precise amount of satisfaction you receive after inviting friends into your office only to turn your monitor on its side so that your guests can pretend to ooh and ahh at your extravagance, but it can't be better than what $3,000 can buy you in the recreational chemical and escort industries. Trust me.

JVC Announces Super Slim & Light Flat Panel Monitor
32-inch LED backlit monitor measures just ¼-inch deep
ATLANTA, September 10, 2009 – JVC today announced a super slim LCD monitor for home theater use that measures a mere ¼-inch (6.4mm) deep across most of the panel and weighs just 12.5 pounds (5.7kg). The new 32-inch class LT-32WX50 will be available in the U.S. in November.
The new monitor's super slim profile is made possible by the use of JVC's edge LED backlighting system.
It offers a 4000:1 contrast ratio and wide color gamut for exceptionally high resolution of both video and still images.
The monitor's shallow depth makes it ideal for consumers who want the design flexibility such a slim design allows. It also lends itself to a variety of commercial applications. Another attribute is that fewer material resources are used in making the monitor, reducing the product's environmental impact.
Key features of the LT-32WX50 are:
• Taking advantage of JVC's unique LCD panel edged-light LED backlight system, the LT-32WX50 is stunningly thin - just 1/4-inch* (6.4mm) deep at its thinnest point, with a slim module inset along the bottom third that houses the monitor's inputs and other connections;
• Six picture settings: home, retail, movie, monitor, SLR photo mode, game;
• It covers a wide color gamut – 100 percent of sRGB and 90 percent of Adobe RGB;
• It uses approximately 50 percent fewer material resources and eliminates the use of mercury;
• JVC's high definition picture engine is designed for reproducing both video and still images;
• It includes two HDMI connections along with analog RGB (D-Dub, 15-pin); the display can be controlled externally via RS-232C;
* When measured from the front surface of LCD panel to the rear surface of the cabinet.
The JVC LT-32WX50 will be available in November for less than $3,000.

Sony XBR10 Flagship LCD HDTV Has Sidelit LED, Wireless HDMI and Media Streaming [HDTVs]

Sony's new XBR10—known overseas as as the ZX5--is their new flagship. It heralds the return of LEDs that the XBR9 skipped, but is sidelit. That means it's skinny, but doesn't do localized background dimming. *Tears!*
It does, however, stream 1080p from a wireless source. That and the clear plastic block design—appearing as if the panel is suspended in a thin block of Lucite, like a visible LCD version of Han Solo—mean it's guaranteed to look oh so purdy hanging on a wall and from the side. What remains to be seen is how good the XBR10 looks compared to the XBR8. (The obscenely over-engineered set from two generations ago looked better to reviewers than the XBR9.)

The set has a few more things going for it, too. Like DLNA media streaming, Youtube, Amazon on Demand and 'later in the fall, Netflix'. (There are also other services, but I have no doubt they'll be of lesser value than the ones I mentioned.) It plays 24p content and has 240Hz tech, which interpolates 3 frames for every one (a tech that no one can see.) And it'll have the cross media interface.
The thing about the XBR8 was that it was expensive; the picture quality alone could not justify the $3000-$4000 cost. So, how does a wireless set like this one get away with costing $4500 and $5000 for 46 and 52-inch flavors?

SONY ADDS SUPER SLIM EDGE-LIT LED MODELS TO BRAVIA HDTV LINE
New XBR10 LCDs Feature 1080p Wireless High Definition Leaving the Cables Behind
ATLANTA (CEDIA Booth # 1409), Sept. 9, 2009 – Sony today introduced a new line of ultra-thin BRAVIA™ LCD HDTVs featuring an advanced edge-lit LED backlight and exceptional contrast ratio of over 1,000,000:1.
The XBR10-series models also deliver full 1080p wireless transmission of high definition signals from a separate media box to a receiver embedded in the TV, allowing source components to be placed out of sight.
'BRAVIA is on the cutting edge of television technology and the XBR10 series pushes the limits of industry-leading, innovative features,' said Jeff Goldstein, vice president of the television business for Sony Electronics. 'Not only will this TV look striking when hanging on a wall, the wireless feature clears the clutter of components and messy tangles of unsightly wires, allowing you to hide components away across the room.'
The XBR10 models also feature an Ethernet connection allowing them to directly access Sony BRAVIA Internet Video content using an existing broadband network. The platform offers one of the largest selections of free and premium movies, TV shows, sports, music and more from an array of partners like, Amazon Video on Demand, YouTube®, Slacker Internet Radio, and, later this fall, Netflix.
Bravia Internet Widgets, powered by the Yahoo! Widget Engine, also expand and personalize the TV experience by adding on-screen applications that provide such information as weather reports, stock information, financial news, Twitter, and additional content.
The full HD 1920 x 1080 progressive (1080p) models also feature Sony's Motionflow™ 240Hz technology, which delivers exceptionally crisp and detailed images with natural motion. The Motionflow algorithm goes beyond traditional 120Hz technology by quadrupling the frame rate of conventional LCD TVs and interpolating three new frames.
The models are Digital Living Network Alliance (DLNA®) compliant, enabling easy access to digital photos, music, and video stored on a PC or other DLNA server using the XMB® interface and the TV's remote control. They also offer a USB input for displaying digital photos or playing digital video and music files from a USB storage device.
Other notable features include:
BRAVIA Engine™ 3
24p True Cinema™
xross media bar™ (XMB)with enhanced 3D favorites Menu
Internet powered TV Guide Onscreen
BRAVIA Sync™
4 HDMI inputs
RS232C
Single PC, component, composite and component/composite selectable inputs

טלויזית LCD דקה חדשה מבית Sony

הטלויזיה החדשה של סוני, ה-XZ1, היא בעובי של 9.9 מ"מ ובגודל 40 אינץ'. לא רק שהיא דקה מאוד היא גם מצליחה להפיק יחסי ניגודיות (קונטרסטים) מאוד גבוהים על-ידי טכנולוגית תאורה אחורית מתקדמת וחדשנית. הם לא עושים שימוש בלדים שממוקמים מאחורי ה-LCD אלא מוליכים אור באופן כזה שהוא מתחלק שווה על כל שטח המסך. האור מגיע מהפינות של המסך.

משקלה של הטלויזיה כ-11.8 ק"ג וחוץ מטכנולוגית העברת האור האחורי, מה שמאפשר את העובי (או בעצם את הדקיקות) הוא שהמקלט של הטלויזיה נמצא בקופסא נפרדת ומשדר לטלויזיה שידורים בהפרדה גבוהה (עד 1080p) ובתדר תמונה של 120 הרץ על גבי תדרי שידור של 5 גיגה הרץ. למקלט יש 3 כניסות HDMI, כניסת USB, 2 חיבורי קומפוננט, S-Video, VGA, חיבור לעכבר ואפילו חיבור לרשת ביתית. התפריטים של המקלט ושל הטלויזיה הם מעוצבים בסטייל XMB כמו במכשירי הפלייסטיישן 3 (PS3). בטלויזיה עצמה יש גם כן חיבור אחד של HDMI.

דבר נוסף שהוא יתרון גדול הוא שהטלויזיה הזאת הוכרזה לא כקונספט או מוצר עתידי אלא מוצר שניתן לקנות החל מרגע זהׁ(עדכון: החל מה-10 לנובמבר) . כמובן שצריך כיסים עמוקים (עדכון - 4714$) כדי לקנות את המוצר...

[דרך Gizmodo]