Displays & Projectors - Page 82

Those digital picture frames were all the rage a few years ago. Instead of having just one picture displayed 24 hours a day, you could insert a memory card and it would automatically cycle through the pictures. D2M has taken that idea just a bit further with a new product they are pitching on Kickstarter called Instacube.

It's an Android-powered picture frame that shows Instagram pictures at their full 600x600 native resolution. It's operated by a touchscreen and three buttons along the top. Measuring in at 7.5-inches, with a 6.5-inch screen, it will fit most places. Better yet, the cube is themed as the Instagram app icon.

While you will usually have it hooked up to an A/C adapter and located on a shelf, the company is packing in a battery so that it can be taken on the move with you. Only problem is that it needs your help to get into production. As it sits, we only have a proposed spec list and some renders of what it would look like.

Dell have just replaced their UltraSharp U2711 monitor with some seriously slick looking screens, with specs to match their looks. Dell's latest display is the UltraSharp U2713HM and is Dell's first monitor to sport the AH-IPS (Advanced High-Performance IPS) panel, which is meant to feature improved color and clarity over other IPS-based technologies.

Dell's UltraSharp U2713HM sports a resolution of 2560x1440, with the company claiming that the U2713HM offers a color gamut of more than 99% sRGB, maximum brightness of 350 cd/m2, grey-to-grey response time of 8ms, a 178/178-degree wide viewing angle, as well as an anti-glare coating.

The U2713HM has a plethora of connectivity, featuring four USB 3.0 ports, dual-link DVI, DisplayPort 1.2, HDMI and VGA. All of the connections are on the back of the display, keeping those nasty cables out of sight. Dell also mentions that their U2713HM is environmentally friendly, with the U2713HM's chassis made out of 25% post-consumer recycled plastics, as well as providing a 37% reduction in energy consumption when compared to its predecessor, the U2711.

In these days of high refresh rates, 120Hz is about the best you can get without some trickery in profiles and "overclocking" your monitor in a sense. ASUS have stepped in with a brand new monitor, the ASUS VG2788HE.

ASUS' VG2788HE is a 27-inch monitor, which has broken through the limit of 120Hz most monitor seems maxed at these days. It hits 144Hz, providing an extra 24 frames per second (or images per second) compared to 120Hz. Personally, I don't think you'd see that much of a difference from 120Hz to 144Hz like the jump from 60 to 120 provides, but for 3D it could be a difference that is quite noticeable.

The VG2788HE is compatible with NVIDIA's 3D Vision 2 technology, but it comes separately to the monitor. The monitor sports HDMI, dual-link DVI and D-SUB connectors, 2x3W stereo speakers are included as well as a mini-jack output that lets you connect headphones. One of the best things I love about this monitor is that it is capable of not just swivel and tilt, but has height adjustment.

We heard about Samsung's flexible AMOLED technology a couple of months ago now, called "Youm". But it seems that new reports from Korean website DDaily are suggesting the production of these panels could be any day now.

Samsung were rumored late last year to have these flexible AMOLED displays in mass production by Q2 2012. The first production run of these displays won't be too flexible, as the displays will be fixed to a rigid sheet of "protective" glass, at first. DDaily's sources claim that Samsung has an internal goal of mass-producing fully flexible screens by 2014.

Producing some of them now would give Samsung a head start on the competition, as they can get the screen tech working now, and get to work on the devices shrinking down (power sources, chips, PCBs, etc). This means we could see flexible smart devices sometime after 2014. We should see new forms of fashionable technology such as watches, headware, and others. The future is flexible.

Samsung's 75-inch ES9000 LED Smart TV is making its way to the US of A. Samsung's 3D-capable, LED-backlit set flashed its goodies in New York as part of the Samsung-sponsored SpaceFest marking the Space Shuttle Enterprise's arrival at the Intrepid.

The ES9000's US debut is good news for those who have been holding their breath for a new 75-inch Samsung LED TV. Specs of the TV are not available, but the 75-inch TV bezel measures in at just 0.31 inches, with the frame sporting a rose-gold finish.

Samsung's 75-inch ES9000 also features a built-in web cam that retracts when not in use, and it also comes with four pairs of 3D glasses. The usual Smart Interaction is at play, giving gesture-based movements, as well as voice control to the TV. Samsung also announced a new Angry Birds app for its smart TVs, which allows users to play the game entirely from gesture controls. The app will be a free download, and will be available later this month.

Rumors of the Apple TV have been around for a while now, but with Samsung and their new Smart TV range, is it too late? Or is there something Apple could do to the TV market that would shake things up as much as they did when they entered the smartphone market?

Well, according to Raymond Soniera, founder of DisplayMate Technologies, Apple may cram a Retina display into their upcoming TV range. Soniera spoke to CNET, where he said:

After showing these bad boys off at CES in January, Samsung have finally confirmed that their Series 9 monitors will hit the US come June 29th. This will follow a brief "prelaunch" period with Newegg.

The Samsung S27B970D is a 27-inch IPS-based screen with a resolution of 2560x1440, HDMI, DVI and USB ports, an all glass and metal enclosure, a height-adjustable stand, and a contrast ratio of 1000:1. What makes these monitors stand out is that each screen is calibrated and undergoes an expert, hour-long adjustment process before it is sent to you, ensuring you get the highest-quality images directly out of the box.

The screens will retail for $1,199 and would look great in a three-screen setup for gamers, or as a single- or multi-monitor setup for video, audio or general work. I think I prefer the gaming option.

Computex 2012 - ViewSonic had a great floor showing off a bunch of screens, not just for consumers, but for business and enterprise. The first one we walked past was the ViewSonic EP5502 which is a 55-inch Full HD 1080p display with sleep tempered glass faceplate, a bunch of inputs (HDMI, VGA, YPbPr, USB) and can load images quite easily through its USB input.

Next to that was the widescreen EW2962 which again, is great for business and enterprise. It's much wider and would suite businesses such as restaurants, or train stations. It was great to see something like this in-person from ViewSonic. But, the true fun hasn't started just yet!

ViewSonic had a frameless 27-inch LCD sporting SuperClear IPS technology, backed up by its 1080p resolution and SRS Premium Sound integrated speakers. Featuring a 30,000,000:1 contrast ratio, it has a 7ms response time and features DVI, HDMI and RGB inputs.

The International Telecommunications Union (ITU) have just become my new best friends as they have "agreed a draft new Recommendation on the technical details for 'Ultra High Definition Television'", but have decided something for UHDTV, that both 3840x2160 and future 7860x4320 screens keep the same UHDTV moniker.

While that sounds simplistic, it is confusing. Because 4K is not 8K, and vica versa, yet they share the same 'UHDTV' name. 4K sports eight megapixels, where 8K features an eye-busting 32 megapixels.

What are your thoughts on this? Why would they name UHDTV and jam both 4K and 8K standards into it? Why not have UHDTV 4K and UHDTV 8K? How hard would that be? Adopting two ultra-high def TV specs into a single moniker is just confusing, and annoying. "Hey, what UHDTV do you have?", "Oh, I have an HDTV". Hopefully this gets changed, but I highly doubt it will.

LG's G2 series of Google TVs were unveiled at an event in New York City called Internet Week New York, the event is an annual shindig, where NYC celebrates technology and digital culture. VentureBeat spoke to Georg Rasinski, who is the director of LG's home electronics brand management.

LG's new Google TV sports the company's motion-control, "Magic Remote". The remote features gesture control, and even includes a built-in microphone for voice commands. On the back of the remote is a full QWERTY thumb keyboard. The TV's interface is said to look much different to previous GTC devices that VentureBeat have used from Sony and Logitech. LG have heavily customized the homescreen with a 3D interface.

From the user interface, you'll have quick access to a bunch of apps and bookmarks. The G2 series of LG Google TV's is powered by LG's custom ARM-based L9 processor, which is the first dual-core chip in a Google TV device. The L9 chip will eventually be baked into LG's other flagship sets, but it is making its debut here on the G2 series.