4k

LG's Ultra HD set: 300 sold... and counting?

If a report out of Korea is to be believed, LG's 84-inch Ultra HD television isn't exactly setting the industry on fire with its sales.

According to news site Chosun Ilbo, LG has sold about 300 units of its high-end television. The company's monthly sales have averaged about 70 of the TVs since the product's launch last year.

So, why might sales be so underwhelming? Price may have something to do with it. LG is currently selling its 84-inch Ultra HD set for about $20,000.

Ultra HD technology took center stage at the Consumer Electronics … Read more

The 2013 TVs of CES are bigger and smarter, but what about the picture?

Will flat-panel TV picture quality get even better in 2013?

I'm guessing "Yes" in the case of the Best of CES nominee Panasonic TC-PZT60 and the re-engineered Samsung UNF8500, very likely the two best-performing TVs of 2013 under $10,000.

But those two are hardly the TV hardware poster children of the 2013 Consumer Electronics Show, where all the headlines touted expensive 4K and OLED sets -- still stupid and chronically under-delivered, respectively -- as well as new gadgetry of questionable usefulness. Finger-gesture control, anyone?

I got a chance to see both the Panasonic and the Samsung … Read more

Panasonic pushes prototype pixels: 4K Windows 8 tablet

LAS VEGAS--Panasonic is ready to go to the next level in PC and tablet resolution. Is anyone else?

Ultra HD/4K televisions blanket this year's Consumer Electronics Show like freshly fallen snow, but Panasonic is standing alone demonstrating 4K technology in a personal computer. The company's 4K tablet prototype on display at its booth has a ridiculous 3,840x2,560-pixel resolution and 230 pixels per inch packed into a 20-inch IPS LED-backlit LCD display.

The 15-inch Retina Display MacBook Pro has a 2,880x1,880-pixel resolution at 220 ppi. There isn't a 20-inch display currently in a … Read more

Panasonic highlights its ambitions beyond TVs at CES 2013

Panasonic is more than a TV company. Or so said the company's president, Kazuhiro Tsuga, during an opening keynote address at the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas on Tuesday.

Indeed, Tsuga and TV journalist Lisa Ling, who joined him on stage, spent the good part of an hour highlighting the many facets of Panasonics varied business. From green technology and battery technology that helps power smart grids and electric cars to cutting edge avionics technology to creating new cutting edge business-class tablets. And of course, there was talk of the successful TV business.

At the heart of the … Read more

Panasonic unleashes first prototype 4K OLED

LAS VEGAS--Not to be outdone by its competitors, Panasonic has displayed its own 4K OLED screen at CES with claims of it being the world's biggest.

Like the 4K display from Sony, the Panasonic 4K OLED is only a prototype but is the first OLED from a company that has thus far concentrated on plasma technology.

The 56-inch TV features a 3,840×2,160 resolution, weighs 27 pounds, and is less than half an inch thick. The bezel also appears very slim and equivalent to a mainstream LCD.

The company boasted that its new printing technology enabled … Read more

Ultra HD TVs are big at CES 2013

Tuesday's CNET Update from CES 2013:

The show floor has officially opened at the International CES, and here's a quick breakdown of the highlights so far:

Televisions and home entertainment tend to be the star of the show. This year, LG announced shipping and pricing details for the 55-inch OLED TV that everyone was gawking at last year. The buzz now is more focused around Ultra HD resolution, also called 4K. You need a very large screen to appreciate that extra resolution. Sharp showed two Ultra HD TVs. Samsung unveiled an 85-inch Ultra HD TV with a floor stand. … Read more

Sony CES press conference: Heavy on 4K TVs, OLED, plus an actual phone!

LAS VEGAS--Today Sony announced one of the broadest and most compelling product and service lineups at CES 2013, including 4K and OLED TVs, the first way to get 4K content into the home, and yes, an actual smartphone.

Leading the charge was the company's new flagship smartphone, the Xperia Z. With quad-core processing, a massive 5-inch screen, and a 13-megapixel camera, it has the specs to compete with the best phones on the market. And one of the only ones that's water-resistant.

Next the company talked up NFC, or near-field communication, saying it had integrated "One Touch" communication among devices to ease media transfer and streaming among phones, tablets, TVs, and audio devices. The idea is that the link can be established just by touching the devices to one another.… Read more

Sony to launch 4K video distribution system this summer

LAS VEGAS--One of the big problems with 4K TVs right now, aside from the fact that it's tough to discern any benefit from their extra resolution, is lack of content. Sony, alone among TV or content providers so far, actually aims to tackle that issue around the same time it launches its full line of 4K TVs later this year.

This summer the company will set up a dedicated video distribution service to deliver 4K content to the home, complete with a hardware 4K Video Player that can feed the TVs directly.

Currently buyers who pony up $25K for … Read more

Sony XBR-X900 series: 4K gets smaller, cheaper

LAS VEGAS--4K isn't just for wall-size, five-figure TVs anymore.

Sony is among the first major TV makers to announce it will sell 4K, aka Ultra High Definition (UHD), televisions in sizes less than 84 inches. The XBR-X900 series, which currently counts a $25,000 84-incher as its sole member, now includes 65-inch and 55-inch sizes, which will sell for $4,999 and $6,999 respectively. They'll be available beginning April 21.

UHD/4K in this TV's (and most other's) case means a pixel count of 3,840x2,160 -- four times as many pixels as today'… Read more