With Europe's largest consumer electronics show IFA drawing to a close today, we thought we would give one more round up featuring Google TV, Sony 3D projector, Sharp Quattron 3D and a rather cool looking Toshiba Regza.
Google were on hand to show-off their new Google TV in a demo at IFA, it's going to be bundled in a Sony Google TV, a Sony Blu-ray player and a Logitech set top box at launch, which this year in the US and sometime in 2011 for us. There are promising some "incredible” remote control interfaces – with the ability to search the web, live television, recorded shows, on-demand programming all from one box.
A full QWERTY keyboard and a pointing device were controlling the demo - there will some other clever controls too, with Android phones and maybe even iPhone's able to control the set top box.
Google TV won't launch with apps, but they're planned just in time for its International launch. Google as ever didn't go into details about how they'll be delivered.
YouTube will get special treatment from the Google TV hardware with a graphics accelerator to make HD videos watchable on a big screen. The arrival of the YouTube Movies store also suggests we'll see a full-on film rental service from the search giant very soon.
We got a look at Sony's flagship home cinema projector, a new full 1080p 3D HD projector, perfect if you want to make your own 3D cinema room, and have a fair few thousand pounds spare.
It plays games, 3D films, 2D films and any other content you can find for it. It is compatible with active shutter glasses, not the polarised ones. It's the first 3D projector from Sony, and will sure to make Epson take note who aren't convinced by the whole 3D thing just yet.
We caught a glimpse of the first Sharp Quattron 3D screen at IFA, with their impressive eye-popping sub-pixel technology present and now combined with 3D technology – looked simply stunning.
The science behind the Quattron is very clever, as gold is the hardest colour to replicate, along with black of course. It’s a extra yellow sub-pixel that allow the screen to produces the richest brightest colours. Allowing the screen to perform even better when in 3D mode. So what's it like?
In one word: Amazing. We settle down to watch a film, or at a part of one. And it was very close to watching a film at a 3D cinema. The eye-poppingly bright display makes a huge difference, and really sets Sharp's screens apart from the rest. Other notable features include the fact that not everyone has to watch in 3D. Sharp's clever glasses let some viewers watch in 3D, while others can choose 2D instead. Just in case your one of the lucky or unlucky who can’t see 3D.
Yellows in particular burst from the screen, with Quattron's extra sub-pixel doing the business. We’re warming more and more to this new extra pixel colour and are assured by all the big players it will be added to their models for next year. What this space.
Toshiba offered a rather stunning Regza VL, this one is a bit different to all of Tosh's other TV’s. Its stunningly minimalist metal exterior is the work of Jacob Jensen, the designer for the ever spectacular, if not expensive, Bang and Olufsen.
Unlike some Jacob Jensen products, the Regza VL is very understated. Toshiba's design brief had called for "global appeal" so, the Regza VL is a minimalist panel that ticks all our boxes for style and specs.
There's a thin metal bezel wrapped around the edge of the screen, and a backlit control panel with touch-sensitive controls at the front of the TV.
The back of the Regza VL is as smart as the front, And all new wall-mounting system lets the TV sit flush against a wall too. Similar to the fantastic picture hanging system from Samsung.
Inside there's a full HD screen with Freeview HD tuner, four HDMI inputs and two USB inputs for playback of JPEG, MP3 and DivX HD files. There's also Ethernet port to get this stunner surfing the web, and built-in YouTube and BBC iPlayer.
Toshiba Resolution+ technology is tucked away inside the Regza VL range too, automatically upscaling any non-HD sources. Well apparently. It must do this by black magic we presume.