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Samsung's XL2370 'highest performance' 1080p monitor goes global in August


We're not at all clear what, if any difference, exists between Samsung's new XL2370 monitor and the $399 P2370L announced back in January. Both are 23-inch LED backlit members from Samsung's "Touch of Color" lineup sporting a 2ms response and 1080p resolution. The XL2370 claims an ambiguous "finger-slim" design sounding very much like the 0.65-inch depth of the P2370L. The only hard difference is the stated increase in dynamic contrast ratio from 2M:1 (P2370L) to 5M:1 -- a pointless distinction most likely rooted in competitive hyperbole rather than any visible distinction you'd see in your home office. Regardless, the XL2370 will carry the title of Samsung's "highest performance monitor" (which is saying something) when it ships to Korea in mid-July on the way to its European and "other parts of the world" debut in August.

LG introduces stylish, LED-backlit 22-inch W2286L LCD HDTV


By and large, there's nothing too incredible about LG's latest LCD HDTV. It's 22-inches, can double as a PC monitor, boasts a deceiving 2,000,000:1 dynamic contrast ratio and consumes some 40 percent less power than the average Earth-hating 22-inch LCD. There's also a pair of HDMI sockets, a DVI port and a 1,680 x 1,050 resolution, not to mention an automatic brightness sensor that responds to ambient light. There's no word yet on how pricey the 20 millimeter-thick set will be nor when it'll ship stateside, but hopefully it -- along with its 24-inch Full HD sibling -- will make the trip in short order.

[Via AkihabaraNews]

LG slides out 55LH95 and 55LH93 wireless LCD HDTVs

Maybe it's just the disco-inspired wallpaper that has our motors all revved up, but whatever the case, we're pretty jazzed about LG's newest 55-inch duo. The 55LH95 and 55LH93 are the company's latest ultrathin LED-backlit sets, both of which slim down to 24.8 millimeters and pack a grand total of 3,360 LEDs -- a number that LG claims is around seven times that used in most edge-lit LED TVs. There's also a 5,000,000:1 dynamic contrast ratio, a 240Hz refresh rate and -- potentially most intriguing -- a mysterious wireless feature that enables DVD and game consoles to transmit information sans an HDMI cable. There's no mention of what technology is baked in (AMIMON's WHDI, perhaps?), but either way, we're hoping the same stuff remains once these get announced for North America. Estimated pricing on the July-bound (in South Korea) sets is pegged for $5,500 and $5,900, respectively, and LG is apparently planning to issue 42- and 47-inchers with the same amenities here soon.

Update: SiBEAM pinged us to confirm that it's WirelessHD included here.

JVC shows off LED-backlit, 7mm-thin 1080p LT-32WX50 LCD HDTV


CEDIA's UK show is going on right now across the pond, and while things are rather quiet overall, JVC has definitely garnered a fair bit of attention with its 32-inch LT-32WX50. The 1080p set features 100Hz dejudder technology, a 4,000:1 contrast ratio, 90 percent of Adobe's RGB color space and -- here's the real kicker -- a thickness of just seven millimeters. The whole panel weighs just 11 pounds, meaning that even the weaklings should be able to transport, move and install this one sans any overpriced help from Geek Squad. Around back, there's a pair of HDMI inputs, a PC port, an SD card slot and a USB connector. If all goes well, it should start hitting retailers this fall, but there's no mention of when it'll ship stateside.

VIZIO Internet App HDTVs launch later this year, for less than you might expect


Sure VIZIO only just showed off new updates in its high end XVT series, but it's already planning the next generation of LCDs with VIZIO Internet Apps included. Packing widget functionality, 802.11n wireless networking and slider QWERTY Bluetooth remote, the SV422XVT, SV472XVT and VF552XVT Connected HDTVs are coming home in November, October and December, respectively. Already on deck to serve up content for your widgets are Vudu, Revision3, Facebook, Twitter, Rhapsody, Blockbuster OnDemand, Showtime, Flickr and more. The biggest surprise? There's apparently no price premium planned for these features, with the 55-inch clocking in at the same $2,199 price as the model it's replacing, though the 47-inch jumps $200 over the previous edition to $1,699, while adding the local dimming LED backlit technology previously reserved for the 55-inch. The 42-inch will be the first and cheapest available at $1,199 (sans LED) -- we'll see if that bar is low enough to get viewers to jump into the internet-connected display future.

Read - VIZIO Announces High Performance XVT HDTV Line Up with 240Hz SPS(TM), TruLED(TM) and Smart Dimming(TM) Technology, VIZIO Internet Apps (VIA), and Slim Line(TM) 120Hz LCD HDTV Models
Read - VIZIO Unveils Rhapsody Digital Music Service for VIZIO Internet Apps (VIA(TM)) Connected HDTVs
Read - VIZIO Reveals Dynamic New Content Partners for VIZIO Internet Apps Connected HDTV Feature

Samsung's P410M pocket projector is just a little bit better

Samsung's looking to update its original P400 pocket imager with the P410m. Other than pumping out 170 lumens off a 30,000 hour LED to the P400's 151 lumens, the P410M looks like the same 800 x 600 pixel DLP beamer with 1,000:1 contrast first spotted at CES back in January 2008. But hey, brighter is better especially in this milquetoast-class of ultra-portable projectors.

[Via Slashgear]

Sharp's remote controlled LED light-bulbs generate seven-shades of smart

While you're replacing your household incandescent light-bulbs with LEDs in a bid to save energy and possibly cash (over the 40,000-hour lifespan) you might want to consider these remote-controlled lamps from Sharp. The DL-L60AV gives you on/off and dimming functions as well as the ability to adjust the light in seven shades of white to warm up or cool down the glow. Best of all, they screw into a standard E26 socket for a one-to-one exchange with your existing ocean warmers. The features of the remote control are still unclear (lighting zone support, range of operation, etc.) but it appears to work with multiple-lamps in parallel which is a nice touch. However, we'd like to see Sharp integrate a Z-Wave or ZigBee chipset so we could link these directly (without special wall-switches) into a tricked-out home automation and power managment system. The DL-series start at ¥3880 (about $40) for simple LED lights before hitting ¥7980 (about $82) for the fully-equipped DL-L60AV and begin shipping July 15th in Japan.

Toshiba ships REGZA ZV650 and SV670 HDTVs


If you're not down with waiting for Toshiba's internet-connected range of HDTVs -- which, by the way, should be out before the dawn of 2010 -- here's a bit of excellent news: the REGZA ZV650 and SV670 series are now shipping. Both of the sets were initially announced way back at CES, and the latter of the two is Tosh's first-ever LED-backlit HDTV. Said set also packs local dimming, ClearScan 240 dejudder technology, PixelPure 5G 14-bit video processing and that questionably useful Resolution+ system. There's also a USB socket, four HDMI connectors, IR pass-through, a PC input and REGZA-LINK (HDMI-CEC). As for the other guys (yeah, there's more), head on past the break and take notes on the ones relevant to your interests.

Pixel Qi's 3Qi LCD screen sized up with Kindle, CTO sheds light on your questions

Turns out Pixel Qi's CTO Mary Lou Jepsen reads Engadget, or at least the posts relevant to her company and her invention, the 3Qi screen. In addition to a side-by-side comparison of the display against the Kindle and a few other devices, in an interview with techvideoblog, she can be seen going through our most recent post and answering some of our readers' questions, including clearing up what seems to be a pretty big misconception that the screen uses e-ink for being visible in direct sunlight -- "it's standard LCD, just clever design," she explains. In one scene, she demonstrates that even in those very bright situations when the screen looks to go monochrome for visibility, you can still see a hint of color, with the full "Pleasantville" experience entering the more she moves the hardware into the shade. As for reports of the tech adding a $200 premium, she dismisses this as a misquote and infers that it was more of an example price for a laptop that'd be using the technology. There's a lot of fascinating tidbits here, including some talk on the nature of the display and laptop industries. As it stands, mass production begins this Fall, and even though you're seeing that Acer logo on the demo unit, Jepsen says it's just a prototype built into a laptop they bought at Radio Shack and that no manufacturing partners have been confirmed. Make sure the closest star isn't beaming down at your screen and head on after the break for the both videos.

Read - Mary Lou Jepsen answers user comments
Read - Pixel Qi vs Kindle vs Toshiba R600 vs regular LCD tablet

BenQ GP1 LED pocket projector reviewed: loved, possibly lurved

The universal acclaim for BenQ's GP1 LED projector is deafening. Naturally, some trade-offs were made in brightness, contrast, and resolution in order to squeeze things down to a palm-sized 5.4 x 4.7 x 2.1-inch footprint. But at just 1.4-pounds, it won't cause your bicep, atrophied by pantywaist netbooks, too much strain. Thanks to a LED light source with a 20,000 hour lifespan, this $499 DLP projector manages to spread 100 lumens across 858 x 600 pixels with a 2,000:1 contrast -- specs that give solid results when projecting a 40-inch image in a bright, shades-drawn room on up to 80-inches in near-black environments. Better yet, pop in a USB stick loaded with images (JPEG, GIF, BMP, TIFF) or videos (MPEG4, MJPEG, xvid, 3ivX) and the projector will automatically launch a media playback menu -- no laptop required. The lack of zoom, an ailment common in all these tiny projectors, will limit placement and a measured 38dB (from a distance of 30cm) operational hum will be distracting to home theater buffs or cubical monkeys forced into the sleepy corporate dens of PowerPoint. But all-in-all, BenQ's come up with a winner, and truth doesn't make a noise.

Read -- TrustedReviews
Read -- TrustedReviews (video)
Read -- SlashGear
Read -- iLounge

LG world's thinnest LCD is only 0.23 inches thick


Looks like we've got a new record holder for world's thinnest LCD, as LG pegs its new 42- and 47-inch models at only 5.9mm thick. Apparently lacking an iPhone for the accepted measurement of thinness, this model was reduced to holding up a coin for an example of LG's edge LED lit prowess. Though you may prefer local dimming LEDs, DisplayBlog is hopeful we'll see a combo of the two lighting schemes bringing thinness and high picture quality next year. Meanwhile, compare these to JVC's magnetically mounted former champ, measuring a now-widebody 7mm thick, but at only 5kg, still holding a weight edge over these two at 6.1 and 7.3kg, respectively. LG promises 120Hz refresh technology and 80% of the NTSC color gamut, up from 72% on standard models, on these, but we'll wait for them to go from the demo stand to the store shelf before revisiting the question of whether thinner and more energy efficient is actually better.

[Via DisplayBlog]

Nanocrystal breakthrough promises more versatile lasers, world peace


For the longest while, scientists have been flummoxed by the incessant coruscating emitted by individual molecules; no matter their methods, they could never quite seem to overcome a troubling optical quirk known sensibly as "blinking." Thanks to a brilliant crew at the University of Rochester, however, we now understand the basic physics behind the phenomenon, and together with a team from Eastman Kodak, a nanocrystal has been created that can constantly emit light. In theory, the discovery could lead to "dramatically less expensive and more versatile lasers, brighter LED lighting, and biological markers that track how a drug interacts with a cell at a level never before possible." Indeed, one could envision that future displays could be crafted by painting a grid of differently sized nanocrystals onto a flat surface, making even OLED TVs look chubby in comparison. Now, if only we had a good feeling that such a device was destined for a CES in our lifetime...

Quantum dots make for more pleasing LED lamps

Quantum dots make for more pleasing LED lamps
Many who grew up beneath a warm, inefficient incandescent or halogen glow are having a hard time coming to grips with the stale, stiff, efficient illumination provided by CFL or LED bulbs. Two companies, Nexxus Lighting and QD Vision, have paired up to change that, with the former providing an 8 watt (75 watt equivalent) LED bulb, and the latter providing a thin film of quantum dots that can precisely control its color. The dots are microscopic particles that filter light into different colors depending on their size, from red to blue as the dots get smaller -- some only 10 atoms in diameter. The first bulbs are due later this year, and while no word on price is given, Nexxus's current LED bulb costs $100 on its own and surely that layer of dots won't come cheap. Also, no word on whether you'll need to use a Handlink to turn the thing on and off.

[Via Physorg]

DIY ShiftBrite coffeetable a beautiful, headache-inducing conversation piece


Searching for the perfect coffeetable is a struggle we know well. DIYer macetech has sidestepped the whole "boring" furniture problem by installing 81 ShiftBrite LED modules into a 2x2 foot IKEA table which run a sine plasma into HSV/RGB conversion by way of an Arduino. Sure, it's probably not something your grandmother would want in her living room -- but your friends would undoubtedly be pretty jealous to see this thing hanging out in your place. Watch out for seizures, though. Video of the table in action after the break.

[Via Make]

Students create CRT emulator, hope to recapture that analog gaming vibe of yesteryear

The retro gaming insurgence seems as strong as vinyl these days, but you don't see as many people looking for a CRT monitor to complete the set. More likely, they're playing a HD remake or the original title on a digital screen in more detail than the developers ever anticipated or intended. A group of Georgia Tech students are looking to change all that by modifying open-source Atari 2600 VCS emulator Stella to give players that good ole fashion analog vibe. As highlighted by associate professor Ian Bogost, key attributes such as color bleed, "burned" afterimage, RF-engendered signal noise, and texture created by the phosphor glow have been imitated here in recreating the effect. Hit up the gallery below for pictorial examples while we wait anxiously for video and / or the mod itself to rear its blurry head.




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