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HD Super AMOLED versus Retina Display, and other screens (Smartphones Unlocked)

When Raymond Soneira compares smartphone displays, he doesn't just stare at side-by-side screens, using his highly trained eye to detect differences in color temperature and contrast. He does that, make no mistake, but he also uses a suite of scientific tests that measure factors like brightness, color gamut, and reflection.

Soneira is the president, CEO, and founder of DisplayMate Technologies, a gold standard toolkit among manufacturers and display reviewers, CNET included. Holding a doctorate in theoretical physics, Soneira has spent 23 years fine-tuning the algorithms that analyze visual data on screens of all sizes, from smartphones to TVs. Mathematical models are a specialty of his; in past positions, Soneira has developed intricate tests for both AT&T Bell Labs and CBS (CNET's parent company), among others.

This mountain of experience and expertise is why I'm paying attention when Soneira tells me quite plainly over the phone, "Just about every single spec on displays is exaggerated."

And by "exaggerated," he suggests skewed, misleading, and sometimes utterly useless. Why? Because while a screen's resolution and other specs can indicate a certain level of performance, there are many more factors involved in determining a display's actual level of performance. … Read more

Sony HX850: Early candidate for Best LCD TV of 2012

Though plasma is still a firm favorite with reviewers and videophiles, it's overwhelmingly LCD televisions that most people actually buy. And if you want to know what the best LCD TV released in 2012 will be, then we may already have an answer for you: the Sony HX850.

Until the arrival of the excellent HX850, Sony looked to be in dire straits with a massive debt and an anemic TV lineup compared to companies like Samsung and LG. Sony's second-best new-for 2012 TV, the HX750, did nothing to quell our concerns, with picture quality far below what we … Read more

Which TV is right for me? (Device & Conquer)

The technology behind the screen that creates the image is the core of what you're paying for when you buy a TV.

Understanding the differences can be confusing and, frankly, very technical. Leave it to CNET's Brian Cooley to make it simple and narrow down your choice in just a few minutes. Luckily for even the least attentive consumer, there are very few bad TVs out there. But if you're about to lay out this kind of money for a piece of electronics you'll keep for almost seven years on average, know what you're buying. … Read more

LG unveils 5-inch HD LCD screen

LG has announced it will release a new 5-inch LCD screen later this year that boasts a 1080p resolution.

Designed for "smart devices," the new panel also features a 440ppi pixel density -- handily beating the 330ppi Retina display found on Apple's iPhone 4 and iPhone 4S. "The naked eye is unable to distinguish between individual pixels," LG said in a statement announcing the new screen.

The 5-inch display will have a 16:9 aspect ratio and a 1920x1080 resolution, a combination more associated with HDTVs and high-definition monitors. The display is built on AH-IPS (… Read more

The best headphones in the world?

I've written about the Audeze LCD-2 headphones in this blog before, but now I'm going to cover the LCD-3 model, Audeze's best headphones. At first glance the two don't look all that different, but the LCD-3s sport real zebrawood earcups and have thicker and softer real lambskin leather cushions to coddle your ears. This is a fairly heavy (550-gram) set of headphones, but they're comfortable to wear for hours at a time. Details of why the LCD-2s and LCD-3s sound different aren't forthcoming from Audeze, other than the drivers, which use similar technology, are … Read more

Toshiba slashes TV production

Toshiba is ending its domestic production of flat-panel televisions in a bid to double its operating profit by 2014-15. The company's shares rose by more than 5 percent in Tokyo in response to the move.

The company said it aims to double its annual operating profit to 450 billion yen ($5.6 billion). In doing so, it will put a stop to the production of televisions in Japan, in which the business saw a 50 billion yen ($620 million) loss a year earlier.

Instead, it will focus on its social infrastructure business and electronic devices.

"We have shut … Read more

iPad mini to debut during second half of 2012?

Apple has reportedly already tagged LCD suppliers for an iPad mini, with an eye toward launching the tablet in the second half of the year.

This latest scuttlebut comes courtesy of Taiwan news outlet Liberty Times (English translation).

Citing the usual, vague "market rumors" but also a report from Japanese securities firm Macquarie, the Liberty Times said the iPad mini could start shipping by the end of the third quarter with a goal of 6 million units.

That 6 million is the same number projected last month by Chinese online portal Netease.

LG and Au Optronics have already … Read more

Panasonic ST50 vs Sharp Elite Pro: How much would you pay?

In the United States, hundreds of new TVs are released every year, and our job is to pick out the diamonds from among the dirt clods. In the past six months, two TVs have really stood out to me not only as diamonds, but iconic in the same way that the Pioneer Kuro was all of those years ago.

While we all wait for OLEDs to appear later in 2012, I have seen only two televisions in recent memory that I would consider buying for myself: the Sharp Elite Pro and the Panasonic ST50. Both have amazing image quality, but … Read more

Why do plasma TVs look washed out in the store?

CNET Reader Rob asks:

I've been reading your articles on HDTV and find them very informative so, here's something I need cleared up. You mentioned how plasma TVs can control the brightness of individual pixels, made me think they should have a superior picture to LCD -- so I went looking at plasmas. I noticed that they seem to have a "washed out" look, an overall dimmer picture than LCD. Everywhere I go this seems to be the case. What's up with that? Thanks.

A common question, and a huge issue with plasmas, but not how you might think.… Read more