Showing posts with label tv. Show all posts
Showing posts with label tv. Show all posts

2012-06-10

Infinitec's Pocket TV Makes any TV a Smart TV

3.3″ HDMI-dongle Android Pocket TV funded within 1 week on Kickstarter | Ars Technica

Hardware startup Infinitec is building a tiny Android computer housed in an HDMI dongle that is only 3.3 inches long. The product, which is called Pocket TV, was fully funded on Kickstarter within the first week of landing on the popular crowd-funding website.

The Pocket TV: Makes any TV a Smart TV by Infinitec — Kickstarter

Convert your TV into a Smart TV

The Pocket TV is a small pocket-sized dongle that connects to the HDMI port of any regular TV (even your 5-year-old TV) and converts it into a Smart TV. It's basically a fully functioning micro-computer the size of your thumb which runs Android 4.0 (Ice Cream Sandwich) much like today's latest smartphones. The processing power in the Pocket TV will allow you to display Android on your TV turning it into a mega-sized tablet (just imagine a 50 inch iPad). You can download apps from the Google Play Store to stream videos, play games, connect with your friends on Facebook, catch up on news, do some work or simply surf the web. You can even attach a video camera to do Skype video-calls… Yes, all that on your TV! 



Infinitec Unveils Pocket TV, an Android 4.0 Based HDMI Micro-Computer that Makes Any TV a Smart TV - The Paramus Post - Greater Paramus News and Lifestyle Webzine

The Pocket TV can be used for a number of multimedia capabilities including:
• Streaming Video: Watch YouTube, Netflix, Hulu or Amazon Videos on your TV in HD with up to 1080p resolution rather than on a small computer screen.
• Listen to music: The Pocket TV acts as a streaming device for music so you can play all of the content that’s on your computer or home network drive (NAS). That means you access not only your downloaded music but also your movies, TV shows and even your holiday pictures right on your home entertainment system.
• Gaming: You can now play thousands of games such as Angry Birds or racing and strategy games on a big screen instead of on your small screen smart phone or tablet.
• Social Media: Check your Facebook, Twitter and other social media apps on your big screen.
• News: Get CNN, BBC, Google Currents, Pulse, Flipboard and other similar news apps and access to on-demand news stories on your TV.
• Work: Edit documents, read PDFs, review PowerPoint, do video conferences and send and receive emails from a 50-inch monitor.
• Google Maps: Tired of squinting at your screen trying to find road directions? Yes we know you won’t be able to take your TV with you on the road, but the satellite imaging is insane on a 50-inch plasma!
• Web Browsing: Enjoy browsing the web with the Dolphin browser, Opera, or even Chrome and sync it with your laptop's browser.
• Thousands more apps: The Google Play store is full of apps for all types of users and most of them work on the Pocket TV.

Turn Any TV Into a Smart TV | News & Opinion | PCMag.com

Going beyond the offerings by Google and Apple, the Pocket TV will turn your standard HDTV set into a veritable jumbo tablet. On top of Smart TV standards like Web browsing, Netflix, and media playback, the device runs Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich, bringing with it the vast selection of apps in the Google Play app market.

The Pocket TV, however, won't transform your set into a giant touch screen, instead offering two options for navigating through apps and content. The first is a standard IR remote that ships with every unit, providing fairly pedestrian control options like a direction pad and playback buttons. The second is the Air Remote, which includes a gyroscopic sensor and QWERTY keyboard for a more interactive experience. The Pocket TV will also be compatible with the Google Remote TV app, transforming your smartphone into a TV remot


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2011-11-01

Google TV Update

Google TV to get massive Android software update - CNN.com

Google announced on its Google TV blog Friday that the platform will be upgraded to Android 3.1 (otherwise known as Honeycomb) for Sony devices Sunday, with the Logitech Revue set-top box getting its upgrade "soon thereafter."

STORY HIGHLIGHTS
  • Google is upgrading TV with Android 3.1 Honeycomb operating system
  • Android Market will open up a variety of applications, with the promise of more
  • Google also hinted at future software updates (Ice Cream Sandwich, anyone?)

The Official Google TV Blog: An Update on Google TV

Friday, October 28, 2011

Today, we’re announcing a software update for Google TV. In this release, we focused on four areas of user feedback:

1. Keep it simple
2. Make it easy to find something worth watching
3. Make YouTube better on TV
4. Bring more apps to TV

This software update will be coming to Sony devices starting early next week and Logitech devices soon thereafter. We look forward in the coming months to announcing new software updates as well as new devices on new chipsets from multiple hardware partners.


Google TV - Overview

Plays nice with the stuff you already have

  • No monthly fee for Google TV
  • Use your current cable or satellite TV service
  • Use your current home Internet connection
    (wired or wireless)

It’s always up to date

  • Google TV updates over the air
  • All updates are free of charge
  • The latest apps are featured in Android Market





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2011-06-10

3D TV Without Glasses

3D TV Without Glasses - Revealing How No Glasses 3D TV Works.....

Everyone recognises that the need to wear 3D glasses is one of the major barriers to the mass acceptance of 3D TV as an entertainment medium. 3D glasses are expensive, uncomfortable for some, and the need to wear them means you'll need multiple pairs if watching with friends or family. In this article we'll look at developments in technology that will allow you to experience 3D TV without glasses.

The breakthrough technologies that solve this problem of no glasses 3D TV are known as parallax barrier or lenticular lens technology. These methods of delivering 3D TV without glasses are also known as autostereoscopy, and the 3D TVs that deliver them are built using what's termed as 'autostereoscopic screens'. LG's blog post 'A 3D Future Without Glasses' explores the two technologies in more detail.


Autostereoscopy - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Autostereoscopy is any method of displaying stereoscopic images (adding perception of 3D depth) without the use of special headgear or glasses on the part of the viewer. Because headgear is not required, it is also called "glasses-free 3D" or "glasses-less 3D". The technology also includes two broad approaches used in some of them to accommodate motion parallax and wider viewing angles: those that use eye-tracking, and those that display multiple views so that the display does not need to sense where the viewers' eyes are located.[1] Examples of autostereoscopic displays include parallax barrier, lenticular, volumetric, electro-holographic, and light field displays.


Comparison of parallax-barrier and lenticular autostereoscopic displays. Note: The figure is not to scale.


A disadvantage of the parallax barrier is that because each eye is allowed to see only half the pixels, light travelling in the “wrong” direction – i.e. from an L stripe to the right eye or from the R stripe to the left eye – is absorbed by the barrier. This cuts the intensity from the display by about half and reduces the resolution. In practical terms, this means that when the display is being used in conventional 2D mode, the parallax barrier should be removed. In most 3D displays, such as Sharp’s 3D mobile phone, this is achieved by making the barrier from a liquid-crystal layer that can be turned on or off electrically.






Glasses-Free 3D: Sooner Than You Think? | PCWorld


In addition to the limited viewing range and angle problems mentioned above, the unfortunate fact is that the actual depth of the 3D effect in these autostereoscopic TVs is, frankly, disappointing. It's far too subtle to be exciting, and I often found myself looking for the 3D effect in an image or a clip when I should have been blown away.

In Video: Toshiba's 65-inch Glasses-Free 3D TV In Action



A Complete Review To 3D TV Without Glasses

Conclusion

At the moment, it is fair to say that 3D TV without glasses is very much at a developmental stage, and the small sets on offer are not going to be threatening the domination of 3D glasses in the very near future.
The speculation actually coming from within the technology players that produce TVs hasn’t been entirely positive either, with Samsung suggesting it may be as much as 10 years until they can release TV sets with the ability to provide 3D images without having to use 3D glasses, and Sony has also confirmed that the release of sets with this capability is years rather than months away.
Whilst the Toshiba Regza TVs that have been released in Japan are aimed at ‘early-adopters’, and are fairly successful in producing the results required, they aren’t going to be realistic commercial options for some time to come.

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2010-09-09

Asus WiCast Wireless PC to TV Connection

Asus partners with Amimon for WiCast EW2000 PC to TV connection | ZDNet



Asus has handpicked Amimon to work on its upcoming WiCast EW2000 kit that will connect PCs to TVs via USB and HDMI.

The WiCast kit will include an HD video transmitter and receiver in one little compact box, seen in the photo above. Users connect the PC to the TV (or gaming console, set-top box, etc.) via HDMI, while the USB port is used to keep things powered.


Asus adopts WHDI with Amimon chipset | Crave - CNET


WHDI is an emerging wireless technology that offers wireless alternatives to the current HDMI cables used in most home entertainment devices for displaying content on TV screen. WHDI is capable of carrying both sound and video signal wirelessly at the same quality as HDMI cables. Earlier this year, Amimon revealed that it had sold half a million WHDI chips to hardware makers, predicting a wide adoption of the technology.
[...]
Apart from computers, the WiCast can also connect any source device with an HDMI port, such as set-top-boxes or gaming consoles, to an HDTV that supports HDMI. The kits includes one HD Video transmitter and a receiver. The former is to be connected to the HDMI port of a source device, such as a computer, and the latter is to be connected to a TV. WHDI kits like Asus' WiCast are necessary for existing HDMI-based devices. Future devices will have built-in WHDI capability, so that they can connect to one another other wirelessly out of the box.



WiCast: Wireless 1080p Broadcast for Much Less

WiCast:  Wireless 1080p Broadcast for Much Less

Until now, users wanting to wirelessly project 1080p video from a netbook/ PC onto a screen had limited options.  The one current option that can handle 1080p graphics costs $599, with others options costing $240 and up for less than full HD graphics.  Now with WiCast, ASUS introduces a groundbreaking full HD 1080p, 3Gbps solution for the killer price of $199 (MSRP).
Wireless HD Visual and Audio Playback
...
Latency Free
...
USB Powered
...
Omni-Directional Broadcast
...
Small Package
...

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2010-09-08

QWERTY TV Remotes

Philips Home Control debuts sleek Dual remote control | ZDNet


Philips Home Control has taken a simple gadget and glorified it in the form of the Dual. This sleek remote control features not one, but two input interfaces.

On one side, you have a typical but fancier-looking panel for adjusting volume, channel and other playback controls. Not to mention a touchpad for scrolling and maneuvering a cursor.

Then on the reverse side is a full QWERTY keyboard. For HDTV owners interested in accessing social applications (i.e. Flickr, Facebook) from their television sets, this accessory has some potential.

Logitech Revue: Hands-On Impressions




This keyboard, if you want it to, will completely replace all remotes. It just takes a little getting used to, with no traditional 10-digit keypad to plug in channels. But a built-in touch pad and a one-touch picture-in-picture feature make multi-tasking simple. Sending a Facebook note about how your college team is smashing your buddy’s team in the last three seconds is pretty much a no brainer, right on the TV.

Thumbthing Thumbtastic is Here: The TiVo® Slide Remote « TiVo Blog




It is here, the all-in-one remote control for the all-in-one entertainment box. The TiVo® Slide Remote fully equipped with a slide-out, QWERTY keyboard makes it easier to find your favorite series or celebrity on TV, YouTube, Netflix, Rhapsody and more.
This is the first ever DVR remote with a full QWERTY keyboard, and we’re certain that you’ll be excited to get your thumbs on it. The design has the same fun look of the classic TiVo remote, but makes it even easier to get more from your TV experience.

Boxee Blog » Boxee Box remote comes standard with QWERTY keyboard



The Boxee Box Remote – It’s got a QWERTY keyboard!  When we started designing the Boxee Box remote we wanted something simple like the 6-button Apple Remote.  As we began adding features to the Beta it became obvious that for people to really get the most out of the box it was going to need to do more than just point and click.  Rather than subject anyone to another on-screen keyboard we decided the Boxee Box should benefit from a full QWERTY keyboard like you might have on a mobile phone. 


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2010-05-30

Hologram TV is Coming

Times Online

Watch closely, ‘Star Wars’ hologram TV is coming

THREE-DIMENSIONAL television may be the latest in home cinema, but it will soon seem so 2010. Scientists are already planning its successor — holographic television.

On a holo-TV, images will be projected into the middle of a room as a “cloud” that can be enjoyed from every angle without 3-D glasses.




Forget 3D glasses! 'Star Wars' hologram TVs will put you IN the action

[...]

Holo-TVs will resemble a large book laid out on the floor, according to Sony engineers. Lasers will then project a 'cloud' of images that will appear to float in the middle of the room and can be enjoyed from every angle WITHOUT 3D glasses.

It may sound like an implausible technology more suited to Star Wars films than real life, but industry leaders are taking it very seriously indeed.


Japan proposes holographic 3D broadcasts for 2022 World Cup

While we're limited to merely 3DTV depictions of the 2010 World Cup, Japan is letting its freak flag fly in a proposal to host the 2022 matches with a concept envisioning matches captured by 200 HD cameras, then projected as fully 3D images onto real fields in other countries.



Holographic TV

DiscoveryNetworks — June 16, 2009 — Television's gone from black and white to color to high definition. So is 3-D holographic TV next? Jorge Ribas finds out.


Collected from: YouTube - Holographic TV



Powerful Lasers, Futuristic Digital Cameras, 3-D Television and More: Highlights of Frontiers in Optics Meeting in San Jose, Oct. 11–15

[...]

SPECIAL SYMPOSIUM: THE FUTURE OF 3-D TELEVISION
With 3-D movies helping to drive record box office revenues this spring and companies like Sony and Panasonic rolling out the first 3-D-enabled televisions, a timely special symposium titled "The Future of 3-D Display: The Marketplace and the Technology" will feature presentations on current and future technologies driving the 3-D revolution. [...]

Sources
Watch closely, ‘Star Wars’ hologram TV is coming - Times Online
http://technology.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/tech_and_web/personal_tech/article7140259.ece
Hologram TVs that will put you IN the action in development | Mail Online
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencetech/article-1282604/Hologram-TVs-IN-action-development.html
Japan proposes holographic 3D broadcasts for 2022 World Cup -- Engadget
http://www.engadget.com/2010/05/20/japan-proposes-holographic-3d-broadcasts-for-2022-world-cup/
YouTube - Holographic TV
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5QYsg7_EHcU&feature=player_embedded#!
Powerful Lasers, Futuristic Digital Cameras, 3-D Television and More: Highlights of Frontiers in Optics Meeting in San Jose, Oct. 11–15
http://www.frontiersinoptics.com/MediaCenter/ConferenceNews/highlights.aspx

Related
Computer generated holography - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Computer_generated_holography
Holographic TV
http://www.squidoo.com/holographictv
Optical Scientists Add New, Practical Dimension to Holography | UANews.org
http://uanews.org/node/18022
3D Holographic TV’s Very Possible And Will Happen By 2020 | Sony Insider
http://www.sonyinsider.com/2008/10/06/3d-holographic-tvs-very-possible-and-will-happen-by-2020/
Scientist: Holographic television to become reality - CNN.com
http://edition.cnn.com/2008/TECH/science/10/06/holographic.television/index.html
HoloTV Images Jump off the Screen, into Tomorrow's Homes (w/Video)
http://www.physorg.com/news156072878.html
AFP: Japan offers global 3-D telecasts in 2022 WC bid
http://www.google.com/hostednews/afp/article/ALeqM5gNVZsxBSbgXx268O16flQfqXOs_w
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2010-05-26

Google TV

Google TV

Google TV is a software platform for set-top boxes and HDTVs based on the Android operating system and co-developed by Google, Intel, Sony and Logitech. The project was officially announced by Google and its partners on May 20, 2010.



Google plans to introduce a box accompanying the TV which tries to make the TV “smarter” by letting you search for content... and browse the web, and view photo albums and more, as Google’s video introduction shows. It’s called Google TV, and as Techcrunch writes, “It will work as a new box – you’ll just hook up your existing cable or satellite box to it. All the hardware will include a keyboard and a mouse – but it will work with Android phones too. And you can use multiple Android devices to control the same TV – no more fighting over the remote.”

Collected from: Google TV

Introducing Google TV




Google

TV meets web. Web meets TV.

Google TV is a new experience made for television that combines the TV you know and love with the freedom and power of the Internet. Watch an overview video below, sign up for updates, and learn more about how to develop for Google TV.

Watch
Google TV is coming to a living room near you.
Watch the Google TV announcement.

Learn
Learn about the partners we're working with.
Visit Sony, Logitech and Intel.

Develop
Optimize your web apps for Google TV.
Android SDK coming soon. Learn more.
 
Collected from: Google TV


Enhance your TV experience with the power of the web. The Sony Internet TV provides richer internet access so you can browse the web just like you would from a computer. Seamlessly navigate between websites and TV channels or enjoy both at the same time. On the same screen.




Intel® Atom™ processor

TV just got smarter. The Intel® Atom™ processor brings intelligence and performance to your TV experience. Everything you love about TV and the Internet is now together on one screen. Instantly find and watch your favorite shows and movies, easily surf between channels and Web sites, and interact with TV like never before.


Collected from: Intel and Smart TV

Logitech

If you can think it, you can watch it.

Chances are, you have one of the 60 million HDTVs in the US that are ready. To be smarter. To integrate the full Web and your HD cable or satellite content. To do things no TV has ever done before.

Logitech is putting the final touches on a companion box that will connect your HDTV to everything the Google TV experience can be. So watching is just the beginning.

Collected from: Logitech

Sources
Google TV
http://blogoscoped.com/archive/2010-05-21-n21.html
Google TV - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Google_TV
YouTube - Introducing Google TV
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=diTpeYoqAhc
Google TV
http://www.google.com/tv/
Intel and Smart TV
http://www.intel.com/inside/smartTV/
Sony introduces the world's first HDTV incorporating the Google TV platform.
http://discover.sonystyle.com/internettv/
Logitech
http://www.logitech.com/en-us/1005/7099?WT.mc_id=google_googletv_redirect_052010

Related
Official Google Blog: Announcing Google TV: TV meets web. Web meets TV.
http://googleblog.blogspot.com/2010/05/announcing-google-tv-tv-meets-web-web.html
Watch the Google TV announcement
http://www.youtube.com/googledevelopers#p/c/B09682344C2F233B/0/ASZbArr7vdI
Google TV
http://www.google.com/tv/developer/
Google TV Unveiled. It’s All About The Ad Reach
http://techcrunch.com/2010/05/20/google-tv/
Google TV: Who is the competition and what are they saying about it? -- Engadget HD
http://hd.engadget.com/2010/05/21/google-tv-who-is-the-competition-and-what-are-they-saying-about/
Google TV vs. Apple TV (and Everyone Else) | News & Opinion | PCMag.com
http://www.pcmag.com/article2/0,2817,2364066,00.asp
Google and Partners Seek Foothold in the Living Room - NYTimes.com
http://www.nytimes.com/2010/03/18/technology/18webtv.html
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2009-12-02

Cisco's FlipShare TV

Cisco confirms FlipShare TV wireless streaming device

Videos sent wirelessly between Flip and TV


Cisco Systems has officially announced the FlipShare TV wireless distribution system that had surfaced in FCC filings late last month. Confirming earlier speculation, the device transmits video signals between a computer and a TV. Like the company's Flip recorders, the system is designed with simplicity in mind. The package includes a USB key to attach to a computer, while a small box receives the feed on the TV side.

Introducing Cisco’s FlipShare TV

flipsharetv
flipsharetv-usb

flipsharetv-rear

flipsharetv-rear

flipsharetv-remote

flipsharetv-remote

blog it

Sources:
  1. Introducing Cisco’s FlipShare TV
  2. Cisco confirms FlipShare TV wireless streaming device | Electronista
Related:
  1. Cisco's FlipShare TV Lets You Watch Your Videos on TV - washingtonpost.com
  2. Hands On: Cisco's Flipshare TV and Apps - Reviews by PC Magazine
  3. Review: Cisco FlipShare TV, wireless media sharing for the living room | StarkSilverCreek - All Things West Coast
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2009-04-19

SONY's OLED TVs

Clipped from: Sony OLED TV Showcased | Sony Insider

Sony OLED TV Showcased

Sony was one of the exhibitors at Display Expo held in Japan just last week and of course they showcased their OLED TVs. One of them was a prototype 21 inch OLED panel with 1366 by 768 resolution. The contrast ratio is the same as my XEL-1 which is 1000000 to 1. The design has dramatically changed and looks futuristic in a way with the stand fully integrated.



Clipped from: YouTube - Sony Unveils 21-inch OELD Prototype : DigInfo [HD]

Sony Unveils 21-inch OELD Prototype : DigInfo [HD]



Clipped from: Sony XEL-2 OLED TV


The XEL-1 OLED TV

SonyDrive XEL-1 OLED TVIn October 2007,Sony introduced the world's first OLED TV - the XEL-1. This first model is a highly priced (~2,500$), small sized (11") Television - more of a commercial-prototype than anything else, Sony only makes around a thousand units a month.

Sony's 27" OLED - the XEL-2?

Sony 27 OLED prototype at CES 2008 Sony announced in May 2008 that they are working on a new TV. This one will be a 27" model - which is large enough to be called a television indeed. Sony even showed us a prototype of that screen (picture on the left).

Sony's 21" OLED prototypes

In April 2009, Sony displayed a new 21" OLED TV prototype. These TVs have a 1366x768 resolution, 1,000,000:1 contrast ratio and they are only 1.4mm thick. Will this be the XEL-2 TV?

Clipped from: Organic light-emitting diode - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Organic light-emitting diode

An organic light emitting diode (OLED), also light emitting polymer (LEP) and organic electro luminescence (OEL), is any light emitting diode (LED) whose emissive electroluminescent layer is composed of a film of organic compounds. The layer usually contains a polymer substance that allows suitable organic compounds to be deposited. They are deposited in rows and columns onto a flat carrier by a simple "printing" process. The resulting matrix of pixels can emit light of different colors.

Such systems can be used in television screens, computer displays, small, portable system screens such as cell phones and PDAs, advertising, information and indication. OLEDs can also be used in light sources for general space illumination, and large-area light-emitting elements. OLEDs typically emit less light per area than inorganic solid-state based LEDs which are usually designed for use as point-light sources.

A significant benefit of OLED displays over traditional liquid crystal displays (LCDs) is that OLEDs do not require a backlight to function. Thus they draw far less power and, when powered from a battery, can operate longer on the same charge. Because there is no need for a backlight, an OLED display can be much thinner than an LCD panel. Degradation of OLED materials has limited their use so far.[1]



Clipped from: YouTube - Sony OELD DEMO at CES2007

Sony OELD DEMO at CES2007





Clipped from: XEL-1 | OLED Digital TV | Sony | SonyStyle USA

SonyStyle

OLED Digital TV

Sony's OLED (Organic Light Emitting Diode) TV, the XEL-1, is truly the next big thing in television technology. It boasts a 3 millimeter thin panel and offers unparalleled picture quality with amazing contrast, outstanding brightness, exceptional color reproduction, and a rapid response time. It delivers astounding performance in all the key picture quality categories. OLED technology can completely turn off pixels when reproducing black, resulting in more outstanding dark scene detail and a contrast ratio of 1,000,000:1. OLED also creates unmatched color expression and detail and enables rapid response times for smooth and natural reproduction of fast moving images like those found in sports and action movies. The XEL-1 features the latest connectivity options including two HDMI™ inputs, a digital tuner, and a Memory Stick® media slot for viewing high-resolution photos.

Sources:
  1. Sony OLED TV Showcased | Sony Insider
  2. YouTube - Sony Unveils 21-inch OELD Prototype : DigInfo [HD]
  3. Sony XEL-2 OLED TV
  4. Organic light-emitting diode - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
  5. YouTube - Sony OELD DEMO at CES2007
  6. XEL-1 | OLED Digital TV | Sony | SonyStyle USA

Related:
  1. Sony shows 21" 1366 × 768 OLED prototype
  2. OLED TV Television
  3. Sony's 1,000,000:1 contrast ratio 27-inch OLED HDTV
  4. Sony Gets Skinny With The OLED TV | TV, Sony, OELD | geeksugar - Technology & Gadgets

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