CES 2011

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Tom Norton  |  Jan 06, 2010  |  First Published: Jan 07, 2010  | 

LG's new LED LCD TVs are now ultra slim, including one model that is an incredible 6.9mm thin. The Infinia range includes full LED backlighting technology (Full LED Slim, in LG's phrase, but a bit thicker than that 6.9mm set). Some LG sets will now offer 480Hz operation thanks to a newly developed ASIC. The company also plans on marketing a 15" OLED display.

Tom Norton  |  Jan 06, 2010  |  First Published: Jan 07, 2010  | 

Toshiba's big announcement concerned the incorporation of the advanced Cell processor into selected models of its new, 2010 Cell series of HDTVs. The Cell was developed by Toshiba but is best known up to now as the brains in Sony's PlayStation3.

Scott Wilkinson  |  Jan 07, 2010  | 

For as long as I've been attending CES, the first press conference of the show has always been LG's, and as in years past, the place was packed at 8:00 AM. The company introduced its new Infinia line of flat panels, including the plasmas shown here—from left to right, the PK750, PK550, and flagship PK950. (Actually, the PK550 is not part of the Infinia line, which is characterized by a single piece of glass that extends across the screen and bezel.)

Scott Wilkinson  |  Jan 07, 2010  | 

In addition to its plasmas, LG's new LED LCDs embody the Infinia design concept and offer WHDI wireless HDMI connectivity and Skype capability. Show here from left to right are the LE8500 (backlit with local dimming) and LE7500 (edge lit with some addressable "zones"), which are both only 1 inch thick. Not shown is the flagship LE9500, which is 3D-capable with a refresh rate of 480Hz (actually, 240Hz with backlight scanning). Again, pricing was not announced, and these sets should hit the market in the spring and summer.

Scott Wilkinson  |  Jan 07, 2010  | 

LG's super-slim prototype caused a stir at the company's press conference. Even with LED backlighting and local dimming (with 240 dimming zones, over twice as many as most such sets), this panel measures only 6.9mm thick—that's about a quarter of an inch! This thing doesn't even have a model designation yet, so don't expect it in stores any time soon, but it sure is cool.

Scott Wilkinson  |  Jan 07, 2010  | 

Toshiba's big announcement was the introduction into the US market of its Cell TV, first seen in a "soft launch" last year. This flagship sits at the pinnacle of a new lineup that includes 10 series of LCD TVs, seven of which are LED illuminated. Thanks to the incredibly powerful Cell processor in its outboard box, the Cell TV has it all, including LED local dimming with 512 zones (five times as many as most current local dimmers), 3D capabilities (including real-time conversion of 2D to 3D) using active-shutter glasses, 480Hz refresh rate (actually 240Hz with backlight scanning), WirelessHD 60GHz (wireless HDMI) and 802.11n WiFi connectivity, VoIP video-phone capability, and Super Resolution+ and Net Resolution+ video processing, which upscale SD images and clean up low-res Web video, respectively.

Scott Wilkinson  |  Jan 07, 2010  | 

Sharp unveiled its new LCD lineup, which uses a new technology called UV<SUP>2</SUP>A (UltraViolet-induced multi-domain Vertical Alignment) in what are dubbed X-Gen panels, which reduce light leakage for deeper blacks and increase the aperture for brighter whites. But the biggest news at the press conference was Sharp's QuadPixel technology, which adds yellow subpixels to red, green, and blue to expand the color gamut beyond the HDTV spec&#151;not a good idea in my book.

Scott Wilkinson  |  Jan 07, 2010  | 

Samsung introduced a bunch of new TVs at its press conference, but they were turned off before I could get some photos, so I'll have to wait until I can shoot them in the booth to tell you about them. Meanwhile, I can say that Samsung is bullish on 3D, partnering with DreamWorks and Technicolor to get content to consumers as quickly as possible. DreamWorks CEO Jeffrey Katzenberg, shown here on the right with Tim Baxter, president of the Consumer Electronics Division of Samsung Electronics America, made a guest appearance to talk about the importance of 3D and deliver a copy of the world's first 3D Blu-ray, <I>Monsters vs. Aliens</I>, to Baxter.

Scott Wilkinson  |  Jan 07, 2010  | 

Panasonic's press conference started with a 2-way video feed from Fumio Ohtsubo, president of Panasonic Corporation, live from Osaka, Japan, via the company's new Internet-based HD Visual Communication System. The huge projected image was exceptionally clear, detailed, colorful, and smooth, though there was a short but inevitable delay as Ohtsubo chatted with members of the Panasonic staff in the room.

Scott Wilkinson  |  Jan 07, 2010  | 

Of course, you're going to need a 3D Blu-ray player to go with that new 3D TV, and Panasonic is ready to oblige with the PP-BDT350, seen here with a pair of shutter glasses on top of the DMP-BD85, a 2D model with WiFi and a claimed boot time of 0.5 second. The PP-BDT350 implements HDMI 1.4, and both let you access online content. Not shown is the DMP-BD15, Panasonic's second-generation portable Blu-ray player, which also provides access to online content.

Scott Wilkinson  |  Jan 07, 2010  | 

Like Panasonic, Sony is involved in every aspect of 3D, from cameras to displays. At its press conference, the company announced its partnership with the Discovery Channel and Imax to launch a 3D network in 2011. Sony is also sponsoring ESPN's new 3D channel, which is planning to broadcast 85 events in its first year.

Scott Wilkinson  |  Jan 07, 2010  | 

Swedish speaker maker Perfect8 assembled a 2-channel rig in its Venetian suite that would set you back a cool $1,000,000! Aside from the speakers, which include a pair of Forces and three Cubes with powered subwoofers, the system includes electronics from Ypsilon, an Audio Stone Pythagoras turntable, and ZenSati cables. I heard a recording of cello and pipe organ, which was spectacular—a beautiful, open sound and great bass response. For more on the Perfect8 speakers, <A href="http://blog.ultimateavmag.com/ultimate-gear/eight_is_enough/">click here</A>.

Scott Wilkinson  |  Jan 07, 2010  | 

I profiled this tube-based integrated amp with iPod dock <A href="http://blog.ultimateavmag.com/ultimate-gear/the_ultimate_ipod_accessory/..., but I got to hear it at the Venetian. The amp was driving Gershman Acoustics speakers, and the iPod was playing Ella Fitzgerald in uncompressed WAV files, which sounded fantastic.

Scott Wilkinson  |  Jan 07, 2010  | 

After five years, Arcam has updated its Solo Music CD/tuner/integrated amp to the Solo Neo by adding a network card with WiFi so you can stream music from your PC. Also available is a USB port for music files on a mass-storage device, all for around $2000.

Scott Wilkinson  |  Jan 07, 2010  | 

First announced at CEDIA in September, the AVR500 is a stripped down version of the AVR600 with no preamp outs, no phono input, and two sub outs instead of three. It provides 100Wpc of Class AB power and uses a Pixelworks video processor for $3800.

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