Computer Technology News & Tips

One of the product categories that is always out in force during CES is the HDTV. Over the last few years, the normal HDTV has been joined by the 3D TV too. In the future, the resolutions that we know as HD today will look as bad as comparing SD to HD shows today. LG has a new set that will be at the show that is dubbed the largest 3D UD TV at CES 2012.

It’s a bit early to call that “largest” title since makers are known to wait to the last minute to roll out devices that will grab attention at CES. This TV is massive with an 84-inch screen. It also uses passive 3D glasses so you don’t have to spend hundreds of extra dollars to outfit a family with glasses. The UD resolution is four times that of normal 1080p HD at 3840 x 2160.

Forget Sony, Vizio, Samsung, LG, Toshiba and Sharp — those guys might have leverage in the production line, but they ain’t got the pizazz possessed by Sweden’s own People of Lava. After confirming (and reconfirming) that such a company really exists, we were stoked to learn that an Android-based television (the “planet’s first,” as they say) will be shipping later this year from ‘em. As the story goes, the future set — which will be fittingly dubbed Scandinavia — will sport a 42-inch panel, a 1080p native resolution and internet connectivity. We’re told that 47- and 55-inch variants are on the way, all of which will include Android widgets onboard and provide users with easy access to YouTube, Google Maps, the weather, an internet browser, Facebook, Twitter, etc. A USB socket will also be included (presumably for playing back media on your external hard drive), and it’ll demand a €2,000 ($2,695) and €2,500 ($3,370) investment when it rolls out in September. IKEA, you seeing this, or what?

Source: Engadget.com

LG.Philips LCD on Sunday took the wraps off the world’s first A4-sized color “e-paper” display, following up on its black and white display of the same size a year ago.

The 14.1-inch, 4,096-color display is paper-thin and flexible, and can be viewed from up to a 180-degree angle, meaning images remain crisp even when the display is twisted around, the company said.

The image is designed to be comparable to print quality, LG.Philips said. The display is less than 300 micrometers thick, and only uses power when the image changes.

E-paper is a concept designed to open up new frontiers in the world of LCD displays and to replace paper in some cases. A number of companies have debuted prototypes of such lightweight, thin, flexible displays, including Taiwan’s Prime View International (PVI) and Japan’s Seiko Epson.

LG.Philips’ version of the technology uses a substrate that arranges Thin-Film Transistors (TFT) on metal foil rather than glass, making the display flexible and allowing it to return to its original shape after being bent. The latest display includes a color filter coated onto the plastic substrate.

The company’s development process for the color display centered on overcoming processing difficulties related to the lack of heat resistance in metal foil and plastic substrates.

That meant developing processing technology that minimizes panel deformation and prevents circuit structure change during high-temperature processes, as well as research into the lamination technology and the design of the transistors and color filter, the company said.

PVI recently introduced Vizplex, an e-paper technology that, like LG.Philips’ displays, uses electronic ink from E-Ink. PVI’s smaller displays, between 1.9 inches and 9.7 inches, are due out this summer and are designed for mobile phones, music players, bulletin boards and electronic books.

Seiko Epson introduced a high-resolution, A6-sized e-paper display using E-Ink and a manufacturing technique called surface-free technology by laser annealing (SUFTLA).

Source: PCWorld.com