Tom Norton

A demo of Toshiba's new top-of-the-line Cell LCD HDTV, with its 500+ zones of full backlit LED local dimming side-by-side with last year's LED local dimming set with far fewer LED zones, was exceptionally effective, even if too much was made of the new set's increased brightness (and too much of it used for the darkened demo room) . Toshiba claims a peak of 1000 cd/sq meter -- that's close to 300 foot-lamberts, nearly 10 times what I'd recommend for a good picture in a darkened room. Hopefully a movie or cinema mode will produce a more sensible brightness level.

Like many manufacturers, Toshiba is now emphasizing flat panel displays. These two RPTV DLPs were seen, lonesome and hungry, in one corner of Toshiba's booth.

Toshiba was showing its latest prototypes of glasses free 3D. In comparison to last year's demos, the results were much improved. The secret appears to be the use of a 4K LCD panel, which ups the convergence available to each eye—much like the new, jumbo 4K set shown by LG appears to improve the (passive glasses) 3D performance of that set. If you’re watching 3D alone, the set tracks your head position and adjusts the picture to provide optimum performance. In a group showing, the 3D works properly only in 9 individual regions across the front viewing area. A small circular bug at the top center of the screen (visible in the photo) tells you if your head is in a hot spot for 3D. Toshiba expects to have sets in stores in late 2012. But the use of a 4K panel suggests that the first such sets will be expensive, so I wouldn't hold off purchasing a 3D set hoping to have a cheap, glasses-free alternative real soon now.

LED backlighting, Internet-content connectivity, and 240Hz seem to be the watchwords in this year's new HD flat panel sets, if what we've seen so far today, from LG and Toshiba, are representative. Toshiba introduced a whole range of new sets, some non-Regza, some Regza. (Regza, for newbees, is Toshiba's moniker for its premier designs). Some of the upper end models also use a new 14-bit "5G" Resolution + processor said to be capable of making SD sources "feel like" HD. We'll let you know when we see it.