Samsung’s “smart window display” could be coming to homes and offices in two years. The display is eco-friendly, using ambient light as backlighting that uses one-tenth the power of a normal LCD.
When ambient light isn’t available, the nighttime mode turns on a hidden back-light unit.
“The smart window display has a 1366×768 resolution, and when images and videos appear on screen, transparency is reduced to 5.8 percent. The entire display is 9mm thick, weighs just under 10 pounds, and uses HDMI and USB to interface with a computer,” reports Wired, also pointing out the potential for the transparent screen to be used as an interactive room divider.
The post includes a one-minute video of the 46-inch touchscreen model Samsung demoed at CES last week.
Hulu will debut its original series “Battleground” on February 15th, following Netflix’s original series “Lilyhammer,” that premieres February 6th.
“For both companies, going into original content is in part a reaction to the threat of being locked out of deals for popular TV shows,” reports GigaOM. “But it’s also part of a larger movement toward a new Hollywood, where content is produced for online-only properties, money is raised differently and networks aren’t the only game in town anymore. It’s a new golden age of content.”
This movement is not unique to streaming services. YouTube, Kickstarter, Amazon and BitTorrent have all set aside funding for content creation.
The article suggests that actors may now get their big break on Netflix, that original content from these sites may get picked up by networks and content creation on YouTube is now a mode of income.
“Benefiting from this are consumers, who are going to see a lot more shows and movies show up on a lot more screens.”
In a new survey of consumer behavior, Accenture reveals dramatic changes in television viewing in 2011 with only 48 perecent of consumers watching broadcast or cable TV during the week, down from 71 percent in 2009.
According to Forbes, the results “suggest that consumer behavior on television watching is changing faster than anyone had expected. There have been hints before — like the much higher than expected Q4 data on video streaming from Netflix. The company recently said that customers streamed 2 billion hours of video in the fourth quarter.”
TV viewers are increasingly watching video on other devices such as smartphones and tablets.
Smartphone ownership has grown to 53 percent from 28 percent in 2010. Tablets ownership has also grown to 12 percent from 8 percent in 2010.
Approximately one-third of consumers regularly watch TV shows, movies or videos on their PCs.
TV manufacturers will be most affected by this trend. Also, multi-channel video providers are seeing cable-cutting becoming more real.
Promising signs for the UltraViolet cloud-based digital locker were noted at CES last week.
Flixster, which is owned by Warner, is growing after Panasonic and Samsung announced they will add it to their HDTVs and Blu-ray devices.
Digital Entertainment Content Ecosystem (DECE) says 750,000 households have signed up for UltraViolet.
Rovi’s Digital Copy Solution, which will be used by Samsung and available on PCs, will allow consumers to add their discs to their UltraViolet locker after paying a “nominal” fee.
Another potentially significant announcement was made by Amazon, which “revealed that rights for electronic sell through have been secured from one of the big studios — still waiting to learn who,” reports Engadget. “Considering the true potential of UltraViolet can never be realized without near full support for all the online content retailers, and that Netflix has apparently withdrawn from DECE, this could be a major win for the over 80 companies that are a member of the consortium.”
The studios are still focused on content ownership. Engadget questions why people will own when they can stream for less cost.
After being announced at the f8 conference in September, the listen-with-friends feature is now available to Facebook users.
The function helps friends discover new music and chat with one another as they listen. Also, Facebook will post a story in the News Feed when you listen to a song with someone.
“Being able to click on someone’s music and play it is a great experience, but knowing that you helped a friend discover something new, and that you have the same taste in music, is awesome,” says Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg.
The feature is limited to Spotify and Rdio and in order to listen together, users have to stream using the same service.
Pandora has backed away from the service on account of privacy.
“Music, on the one hand, is a very social thing. We listen to music together, we go to shows. But I think there’s also a very private dimension to it. Many people are self-conscious about what they listen to,” Pandora founder Tim Westergren said. “We’ve surveyed our listeners and a small percentage of them want people to know what they’re listening to all the time. And we start with a fundamental respect for what our listener wants and what’s in their comfort zone, not how we can grow or how we can increase referrals.”
The portable-speaker company WOWee is teaming up with MicroVision, creator of ultra-miniature laser display technology, to develop a compact projector-and-speaker in one for mobile devices.
“WOWee ONE’s portable speakers featuring Gel Audio and the portable projector featuring MicroVision PicoP technology can use any surface to create robust sound and focus-free viewing making it easy for users to view and share multimedia on the go,” explains the press release.
“Whether watching a movie with friends, viewing YouTube clips, or watching game highlights, the vibrant sound and crisp, always in-focus image provide users with an affordable, very compact immersive package as well as providing business users with a great tool for making on the fly presentations.”
The release suggests tablet and smartphone users can have a viewing display up to 200 inches diagonal.
The “immersive digital consumption experience” solution will be available Q1.
Brooklyn-based MakerBot Industries was demonstrating two models of its next generation 3D printer — a single head (single color) printer for $1799 and a double head (two color) printer for $1999.
The Replicator is a step above MakerBot’s Thing-O-Matic in that it comes pre-assembled and prints objects as large as 8.9×5.7×5.9 inches.
The 3D printers use either ABS or PLA plastic filament threads sold at $45/kilogram spools. For reference, a 5-inch tall red chess piece requires less than 30 grams of material valued at under $1.
The MakerBot Replicator earned a “CNET Best of CES” award in the Emerging Tech category.
According to CNET: “The MakerBot Replicator one-ups the Cube 3D with ‘dualstrusion’ technology, meaning it can print objects in multiple colors and materials.”
Pre-orders are available now, shipping in six weeks. Check out the CNET video demo.
Fujitsu is the first manufacturer to publicly display a quad core Android phone prototype at CES.
The unit, which was not given a name, looks consistent with the Arrows line. It has a 4.6-inch screen with 1280×720 resolution.
Attendees were not allowed to handle the handset, which was displayed under plexiglass, but it was demonstrated to impressive effect driving games via HDMI cable to an HDTV screen and wirelessly using Bluetooth with a game pad.
The Android device was running on an NVIDIA Tegra 3 processor and features an impressive 13-megapixel camera.
Details such as price, carrier agreement and release date were not available. Fujitsu plans to show a more complete development model at Mobile World Congress in February.
HTC has announced plans to release a Tegra 3 quad core handset, the Edge. Though HTC did not show the phone at CES, it is speculated that the 4.7-inch Android unit, also 1280×720, will be the first in class to actually come to market (some say as soon as the first half of the year), through an as yet unspecified carrier.
First announced at last year’s CES, Sony is now demonstrating the market-ready version of its head-mounted 3D display.
As detailed at its August launch, the device simulates a 150-inch screen 12 feet away and features dual OLED screens as well as virtual 5.1-channel surround sound.
The headset, although a bit front-heavy, was comfortable to wear — but is a challenge to enjoy with prescription glasses. The head mount and processing unit combined weighs about two pounds.
The picture quality is amazing; however, the audio performance leaves something to be desired.
The device is priced at $799 and is being positioned as a lower cost alternative to a traditional big screen HDTV and surround sound system.
The HMZT1 Personal 3D Viewer is listed in the Sony Store, but is not shipping yet (expected soon).
Stream TV Networks — a Philadelphia-headquartered new media business founded in 2009 — is showing prototype “Ultra-D” 3D without glasses technology. It combines proprietary hardware, firmware and software.
The company said it intends to partner with CE manufacturers with an eye toward seeing its technology begin to be used in the market during Q2.
It hopes to integrate the technology in set-top boxes, PCs, tablets, TVs and other displays.
Stream TV Networks reports that the technology includes 2D-to-3D autostereoscopic conversion, and 3D stereoscopic to 3D autostereoscopic conversion.
The company also aims to offer 2D-to-3D conversion services to content producers and owners, using its technology.
Real-world objects are mingling with digital environments in a way that had been possible only on bluescreen movie sets. Known as “augmented reality,” the technology is starting to pop up at retail.
It was part of the Qualcomm keynote in the form of a “Sesame Street” playset that used the chipmaker’s Vuforia AR.
Intel is showcasing Lego Digital Box technology. When a customer presents a toy at a Digital Box kiosk, a discreetly-placed camera “recognizes” the packaging, activating a screen that mirrors the scene, with one important difference: the package contents spring to life atop the box. A Lego Digital Box kiosk is currently installed in the Chicago store and the company plans to roll them out nationally this year.
Over at the Microsoft booth they’re taking it interactive with gesture recognition, using technology developed for Kinect. Microsoft will release a Kinect for Windows SDK on February 1. The move was inspired by the fact that developers were hacking the Kinect software and using it for their own experimental projects.
Fashion marketing firm FaceCake was among those demonstrating their wares at Microsoft. The Calabasas-based firm leveraged Kinect to create an application called Swivel that lets customers “try on” clothing and accessories.
“We see it going to a place where just about everybody has a 3D depth camera in their home, and there will be displays in stores and the two will interact in what we call a Swivlet — a virtual closet,” FaceCake founder Leigh Utterback said.
Italian firm Sisvel Technology is showcasing a 3D broadcast signal it says delivers better quality over less spectrum. Using a proprietary frame slicing technique it calls the “3D Tile Format,” the system delivers a 3D and backward-compatible 2D HD signal without doubling the bandwidth.
The signal maintains a true 16×9 aspect ratio and 3D that does not blur during data-intensive 3D action scenes, a company rep explained.
Samsung and Panasonic televisions are shipping with Tile Format compatibility. Other sets can display the signal using set-top boxes.
Decoder manufacturers currently include Sim2’s 3D Home, DVB-T and 3D Home DVB-S, Giada, Juice 3D and Antik Technology.
Content partners include Quartarete, 50Canale, SES and Vietnam’s VTV.
GoPro is previewing its new BacPac Wi-Fi attachment for its HD HERO and HERO2 cameras, which weighs less than one pound. It fits into the camera’s waterproof housing.
GoPro’s HERO is a wearable and gear mountable HD camera popular with outdoor enthusiasts.
The camera can be operated via remote control or via an app (iOS or Android) that also allows the user to see the video and stream it via a mobile device.
The company says that the Wi-Fi Remote can be used to control up to 50 HERO cameras at a time.
Available in February, the GoPro BacPac will list for $99.
At Tuesday’s keynote, Mercedes-Benz CEO Dr. Dieter Zetsche introduced the new SL, the first vehicle equipped with the second generation of the company’s mbrace technology that provides full Internet access and a host of apps designed for in-vehicle use.
In addition to the SL, Mercedes also brought along its F-125 concept to demonstrate how it envisions technology shaping the future of the automobile.
The F-125’s infotainment system can predict and adapt to the user’s needs by performing tasks like suggesting an umbrella if the forecast predicts rain at your destination three hours from now or by automatically downloading podcasts and news based on your previous interests.
Zetsche announced that Mercedes will kick off the world’s largest car-to-x communication test in Germany in the next few weeks to prove that “a connected car is a proactive car.”
The car-to-x communication system uses driver’s smartphones, in particular their GPS data, to connect every vehicle on the road, providing not only real-time traffic information on an unprecedented level but a road condition warning system that the company hopes is the first step towards “accident free driving.”
Daimler AG will continue rolling out its Car2Go car-sharing service and has introduced its Car2gether app that combines ridesharing with social media for safe carpooling alternatives.
The company is also working with Apple to develop apps in support of its connection-based initiative.
Comrex Corp. is making professional news gathering more nimble with LiveShot, “a compact solution for doing live low latency video delivery for electronic news gathering — or what the industry is now calling IP ENG.”
Set to ship in March, it will work in conjunction with an IP network (in the case of this video demo, the 4G LTE network from Verizon) to transmit broadcast quality audio and video over the Internet.
Comrex already has thousands of customers in the field using a similar technology to produce audio feeds for radio, using its LTE-enabled Access device.
“With $15,000 worth of hardware mounted onto a camera and the use of a 4G LTE network, television news crews can do the same thing they did with a quarter million dollar satellite and microwave truck,” Comrex’s Chris Crump said.
LiveShot works with any professional camera equipped with an Anton/Bauer mount (or adapter) and an HDMI port (it also works off a composite or HD-SDI signal).
The camera-mounted encoder costs $7,000 and the studio-resident decoder $5,000.
Samsung’s “smart window display” could be coming to homes and offices in two years. The display is eco-friendly, using ambient light as backlighting that uses one-tenth the power of a normal LCD.
