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The Smart Home: App-Controlled Bulbs, Security, Thermostats

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January 16, 2013

Smart devices were all the rage at this year’s CES in Las Vegas. And that includes a new wave of in-home devices, like light bulbs with built-in technology allowing consumers to control them via mobile apps. “And despite the high cost of LED bulbs, consumers seem to be turned on by them,” reports AllThingsD. There were a total of more than 900 exhibitors focused on the connected home at this year’s show. Continue reading The Smart Home: App-Controlled Bulbs, Security, Thermostats

CES 2013: Sharp Rolls Out IGZO Ultra HD Pro Monitors

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January 7, 2013

Energy efficiency, sharper HD imagery and increased screen-touch sensitivity. Who wouldn’t want all that? Sharp is betting that everyone does. The company is showcasing tablets, TVs and smartphones that use Indium Gallium Zinc Oxide (IGZO) technology. Early products include two 32-inch professional class LCD monitors – the PN-K321, which debuts in February, and a prototype model with 10-point touchscreen capability. Continue reading CES 2013: Sharp Rolls Out IGZO Ultra HD Pro Monitors

Are there Other Media Applications for Military VR and 3D Tech?

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October 20, 2011
  • Quantum 3D has created virtual reality technology for soldiers to train for battle wearing 3D glasses equipped with screens.
  • “Trainees are 100 percent immersed in the battlefield, while actually prowling around the conference room, gymnasium, or parking lot,” reports KNTV/NBC (includes video).
  • This opens some interesting possibilities for general training, education, and theme park applications.
  • In related news, IEE Inc. has integrated its 4.8-inch 800×400 military data display with 3M’s autostereoscopic film for a glasses-free 3D display that allows running of custom apps (terrain mapping, remote robotics control, enhanced video feeds, and training environments).
  • Key design elements include its small size, high resolution and LED backlight technology. The new display “decreases off-axis image reversals and color distortions, a common concern in the use of 3D technologies, and can easily be switched to 2D with imagery comparable to modern day smart phones,” according to the press release.

Elite Premium TVs Merge the Best of Pioneer and Sharp

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August 8, 2011
  • The new Elite brand of premium LCD TVs is the result of a collaboration between Pioneer and Sharp.
  • Two LED-based LCD models (60- and 70-inch) are 3D, THX certified, claim a refresh rate of greater than 240Hz and feature full-array backlighting instead of edge lighting. They also feature online services such as CinemaNow, Netflix, VUDU and YouTube.
  • Elite TVs include a yellow sub pixel with the standard red/blue/green, that when added together, creates more than 8 million dots on the screen.
  • “But the feature that the company is most hyping is something called Intelligent Variable Contrast,” reports Electronic House. “Found only on the new Elite TVs, it automatically controls both the brightness and backlight to enhance color depth, brilliance and detail in dark areas.”
  • The 3D Elites will ship with active shutter glasses — MSRP of $5,999 for the 60-inch model and $8,499 for the 70-inch.

LG Announces Flicker-Free 3D TVs with Passive Glasses

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August 4, 2011
  • LG has announced a new 3D television that the Korean manufacturer says includes “flicker-free” technology designed to eliminate the headaches and dizziness sometimes associated with 3D sets.
  • The LW980S features a NANO Full LED backlit screen, a “magic motion” remote, TruMotion 400Hz refresh rate and conversion technology that makes 2D programs appear to be in 3D.
  • The LG sets will work with passive glasses that never need charging.
  • Pricing and availability of the 3D TVs, expected in 47- and 55-inch models, have yet to be announced.

LED Technology as Option for Wireless Data Transmission

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July 21, 2011
  • We may see “Li-Fi” wireless in the future, as visible light communications and light-based data transmission technology continue to advance.
  • Professor Harald Haas of the University of Edinburgh recently demonstrated a prototype of the technology at the TEDGlobal conference in Scotland.
  • Haas used an LED bulb to transmit a video that was projected onto a screen behind him (at 10 megabits per second). He plans to reach 100 megabits per second by the end of the year.
  • This approach may become a viable alternative for wireless communication as mobile devices continue to tax the radio spectrum.
  • It is interesting to note that the idea of using light to send information is not new. Alexander Graham Bell sent a wireless phone message in 1880 using his Photophone.

Motion-Capture Technology Improved for Shooting Exteriors

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July 19, 2011
  • Twentieth Century Fox’s “Rise of The Planet of The Apes,” premiering next month, made extensive use of performance capture techniques in its exterior shots.
  • Visual effects house Weta Digital, that developed motion capture techniques for “Avatar,” considers this the next step in the technique’s evolution.
  • “Avatar” was shot largely on enclosed sound stages, while “Rise” shot motion-capture performances on exterior sets.
  • Weta Digital created a portable performance capture rig teamed with special LED markers placed on the actors, enabling the production to take place in broad daylight.
  • “It was like the final step of mixing live-action and digital filmmaking,” explains senior visual effects supervisor Joe Letteri.
  • Actor Andy Serkis, a veteran of several performance-capture films, is developing a studio and academy to teach the technique, with the goal of making it more affordable and accessible even to lower-budget films.

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