Sep 13 Podcast #600: IFA 2013
Each year in Germany consumer electronics manufacturers come together to display their wares at IFA. The IFA or Internationale Funkausstellung Berlin (International radio exhibition Berlin, aka 'Berlin Radio Show') is one of the oldest industrial exhibitions in Germany. Kind of like CES, manufacturers announce new products and services. This year was no exception. We’ll try to run down announcements as they pertain to Home Theater.
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Today's Show:
News:
Other:
- Shout out to Stuart Sweet the Solid Signal Blog - check it out!
- HDBaseT 2.0 spec makes the all-in-one home theater cable better, cheaper
- AVSForum HDMI Extension Discussion Thread
- Samsung smart-TV apps to offer access to opera, photographs
- Roku to add streaming from third-party apps capability
- Sad news. Ray Dolby, the founder of Dolby Laboratories, has passed away at the age of 80.
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Each year in Germany consumer electronics manufacturers come together to display their wares at IFA. The IFA or Internationale Funkausstellung Berlin (International radio exhibition Berlin, aka 'Berlin Radio Show') is one of the oldest industrial exhibitions in Germany. Kind of like CES, manufacturers announce new products and services. This year was no exception. We’ll try to run down announcements as they pertain to Home Theater. "LG was proud to be the first company to commercially launch an OLED TV and we are once again setting our sights high with the ULTRA HD CURVED OLED TV," said Havis Kwon, president and CEO of LG Home Entertainment Company. "This 77-inch TV is proof that we will never stop pushing the boundaries and exploring new possibilities." Currently the largest OLED TV in the world, LG's 77-inch ULTRA HD CURVED OLED TV is also LG's most advanced next-generation TV to date. Spanning a total of 77 inches diagonally, the massive screen's IMAX-like curvature fills the viewer's field of vision more completely than a flat-screen TV. The ULTRA HD CURVED OLED TV combines LG's exceptional WRGB OLED and ULTRA HD technology, enabling it to produce infinite contrast ratio and resolution four times greater than regular FULL HD . Unmatched in picture quality, this enormous, futuristic-looking TV is "a true home entertainment wonder that has to be seen to be believed," Kwon said. According to Samsung this technology, "represents an unprecedented leap forward for picture quality and sharp contrast with its self-emitting pixels and natural motion," If you want this unprecedented leap in technology you better have deep pockets. The cost is reported to be significantly higher than the the $40,000 85 inch UHD TV the UN85S9. The Onyx is a 60W speaker with a stainless steel handle. It can be controlled by a smartphone and can stream music over AirPlay or Bluetooth. Battery life is estimated at 6 hours. It is scheduled to be released in October and run you about $650. If you have about $6,000 to spend and you need a 20 inch 4K tablet Panasonic has got you covered. Shown as a prototype at CES the actual unit runs Windows 8.1 and is powered by a 1.9GHz Intel Core i5 processor. It weighs just over 5 pounds and is about a half inch thick. It comes with 256GB of SSD storage and up to 8GB RAM. The battery life is only two hours so you need to stay close to a charger. So who is the target buyer for this product? We don’t have any idea?? The KDL-65S990A is not the first curved TV but it is the first 1080p HDTV. According to Sony the curved screen “adds depth and immersion to the viewing experience”. Wasn’t 3D supposed to do that? Anyway the KDL-65S990A features an eight speaker four-channel speaker system that is supposed to provide a more immersive audio experience. At $4,000 we’ll stick with a traditional flat panel and spend the difference and good speakers. The KDL-65S990A will be available in the Fall. Like CES, IFA was overrun with tablets and gadgets. Samsung showed about a billion different tablets, phones and even a smart watch. Sony introduced the Z1 5 inch smartphone with a 21MP camera. And how about a beard trimmer from Philips. It has “lasers”! Perhaps IFA didn’t have everything we are looking for as Home Theater enthusiasts. But fortunately for us CEDIA is up next and CES is right around the corner!IFA 2013
LG Introduced the largest curved OLED UHD at 77 inches
Not to be outdone Samsung Introduced a 98 inch 4K OLED
Harman Kardon showed off their Onyx Wireless Speaker System
Panasonic 4K Tablet UT-MB5
Sony Introduces a curved LED HDTV
Tablets and Gadgets
Reader Comments (1)
Congrats on #600 guys! Don't I remember in the old days you were on twice a week? Ahh. the good ole days!