high-definition

Bonus! Sony 'loans' Ultra HD video player to buyers of $25K TV

Those lucky folks who can afford a $25,000 4K Ultra High Definition TV from Sony now have something else to cheer about.

The Japanese electronics giant said today that it's now bundling an Ultra HD video player with the TV, giving users access to high-resolution content. And purchasers of the "4K Ultra HD Home Experience" also will receive an Xperia Tablet S that serves as a remote control.

In case that's not enough, Sony also is preloading the video player -- a hard-disk server -- with a gallery of 4K video shorts and 10 full-length … Read more

Three TV improvements more worthwhile than Ultra HD 4K

The Consumer Electronics Association has decided on a name for 4K resolution: Ultra HD. I guess this leaves room for future resolution increases, with names like Uber Ultra HD (UUHD), Super Ultra Definition (SUD), and, of course, Fantastic Ultra Brilliant Amazing Resolution (FUBAR).

But 4K is still largely just an increase in resolution, which is only one aspect of picture quality, and not the most important.

Here are three things more important than an increase in resolution.… Read more

Samsung, LG to launch 1080p phones next year, report says

Samsung Electronics and LG Electronics are looking to step up their game when it comes to display quality for their smartphones.

Both Korean conglomerates are planning to added full 1080p high-resolution capabilities to their smartphone screens in the first half of next year, according to Korean news Web site MK News.

Both companies are expected to pack in more than 400 pixels per inch for future displays. That would be higher than the 326 pixels per inch in the iPhone 5's Retina Display. A full HD display is supposed to have 440 pixels per inch.

The report noted that … Read more

Ultra High Definition officially replaces 4K

The display format formerly known as 4K will now be called "Ultra High Definition" in the home, the Consumer Electronics Association (CEA) announced in California today.

The CEA said it chose Ultra HD to denote that it has a higher resolution than the existing 1,920x1,080 pixels of full high definition.

To qualify as Ultra HD, a display needs to have a resolution of at least 3,840 pixels horizontally and at least 2,160 pixels vertically, the CEA said. Additionally, the product will require at least one 4K-capable digital input and display 4K content natively without … Read more

What is 4K? Next-generation resolution explained

As if LED and 3D TV weren't confusing enough, in the last few months we have seen a new HDTV technology called 4K, or its official name, Ultra HD. It's being heralded as the next high-def, and judging by the show floor at CES 2013, manufacturers are lining up to bring you a new array of products.

But just as was the case with 3D, it's the hardware chicken before the software egg: there's no consumer 4K content available. Still, if you listen to the industry, it'll tell you it's the last resolution you'll ever need. So what is 4K anyway, and what makes it different from high definition?

Editors' note: This was post was originally published January 23, 2012, and has been updated several times thereafter with expanded information, most recently on January 17, 2013.… Read more

iPad 3 to receive front-facing HD FaceTime camera?

Now that we have ushered in 2012, the hot topic for the next couple months will be rumored specs and release dates for Apple's iPad 3.

The latest rumor comes from editor in chief at iLounge, Jeremy Horwitz, who claims that the iPad 3 will get a high-definition, front-facing FaceTime camera.

Horwitz's rumored spec for the front-facing HD camera, relayed on his Twitter account, was actually just one of several assertions made by him. Also included was the fact that the iPad 3's rear-facing camera would be upgraded to either the same 8-megapixel camera that Apple uses … Read more

Nokia CEO's blunt e-mail; iPad 2 already in production?

Links from Wednesday's episode of Loaded:

HP WebOS event

New Nokia CEO's blunt memo

iPad 2 already in production?

Verizon to improve voice quality over 4G

NYU professor camera experiment not going so well

Google Translate for iPhone

iPhone 4 hits Verizon

Vimeo courts filmmakers with larger upload limits

Vimeo, one of the few online video hosting services to both survive and thrive in a YouTube-dominated world, announced at the CES 2011 show in Las Vegas today that it will now allow members of its paid Vimeo Plus service to upload videos of up to 5GB in size. That's enough for a 2.5-hour-long movie in high definition.

The announcement comes at a time when Vimeo is trying to make itself a friendlier destination for long-form content as well as for living room viewing. This fall, Vimeo launched "Couch Mode," a big-screen-friendly version of its video … Read more

Studio executives discuss potential of 3D

"Who the hell wants to hear actors talk?" --Harry M. Warner, Warner Bros., 1927

NEW YORK--That famously off-the-mark wisecrack, made when the Warner Bros. co-founder was confronted by the advent of talking pictures, was given an airing Friday at the 3D Experience Executive Forum here. Likened to current naysaying about 3D movies and TV, the quote was referenced by David Naranjo, director of product development for Mitsubishi Digital Electronics, along with several other ill-fated predictions in entertainment--as if to say: They'll eat those words!

Resisting 3D may be futile, but we still don't know to what … Read more