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Toshiba shows off dual-core-powered Z2 HDTVs, Regza app for Android

Richard Lawler — Fri, 04 Mar 2011 08:15:00 EST

Toshiba always likes to push the boundaries of TV technology -- Cell TV, Media Center extender TVs and its more recent glasses free 3D efforts come to mind immediately -- but there's always room for more conventional HDTVs and it showed off a few in Japan recently. The Z2 series of LED lit LCDs ship later this month and utilize a dual-core "CEVO (Cell Evolution) Engine" processor that has the horsepower to run its super resolution video upconverting algorithms. It also claims a mere 0.7 frames of input lag in game mode thanks to First In First Out memory that matches the performance of screens used in arcade cabinets. Even if you don't play Marvel vs. Capcom 3 on one of these, the company also announced it will release a version of its currently iOS-only Regza remote control / DLNA streaming app for Android and Windows PCs. So far the app is still a Japan-only thing, so while we wait for this tech to make it over to the US you can check out the specs for the TVs Toshiba actually did announce are coming to the States this year after the break.

Continue reading Toshiba shows off dual-core-powered Z2 HDTVs, Regza app for Android

Toshiba shows off dual-core-powered Z2 HDTVs, Regza app for Android originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 04 Mar 2011 08:15:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Toshiba Japan tosses meteorites around in its new Cell TV ad

Richard Lawler — Sat, 27 Nov 2010 21:53:00 EST

Figuring out how to advertise new 3D functions on viewers old 2D TVs has been an interesting problem for manufacturers all year and Toshiba Japan's ad for its new Cell-powered X2 HDTV is the latest to try, turning to the heavens for inspiration in classically Japanese style. Sure it has nothing on the company's previous Space Chair spot, but we guess some effects will have to do when launching furniture into space isn't possible.

Toshiba Japan tosses meteorites around in its new Cell TV ad originally appeared on Engadget on Sat, 27 Nov 2010 21:53:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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3D stole the show at CES 2010

Ben Drawbaugh — Thu, 21 Jan 2010 13:15:00 EST

Not sure why we've been putting this off, but we'll just come right out and say it: there's no doubt that this was the year for 3D at CES. We walked the show floor for countless hours and can tell you that just about everyone was showing something related to 3D at their booths. Most of these demos required a bit of a wait to experience them (thanks, hype), and everywhere you went people were talking about 3D. Granted, not all of that talk was positive, but it was talk nonetheless. Whether or not the technology will be seen in history as a success in the market place is obviously still up in the air, and much like a finely crafted episode of Lost, 3D at CES this year was littered with more questions than answers.

Gallery: 3D was everywhere at CES 2010

Continue reading 3D stole the show at CES 2010

3D stole the show at CES 2010 originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 21 Jan 2010 13:15:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Toshiba's Cell TV hands-on at CES

Darren Murph — Wed, 06 Jan 2010 14:10:00 EST

Toshiba may have announced a few things today at CES, but its press event was all about one major product: Cell TV. From what we can gather, the company is hopping on this bandwagon in a way we haven't seen since it sank its teeth into HD DVD, and if all the claims pan out, you just might be looking at your next television. Details were short on future pricing and availability, but we get the idea that Tosh wants this on the market as soon as humanly possible. Reportedly, this thing will enable 2D-to-3D conversion of practically any content you watch; of course, we've seen content that was shot in 3D look awful when behind the glasses, so we're not counting on the quality of the metamorphosis to be anything mind-blowing. That said, having such a chip within a TV opens up a whole new world of possibilities, and the accompanying uber-box shown in the gallery below is likely to sell right alongside of it. The purpose? To connect your "entire home" with your HDTV, not to mention bringing web content, video calling and stellar image quality to your otherwise drab den. Needless to say, we're on pins and needles here waiting for more information, but we'll be sure to pass it on as soon as it becomes available.

Gallery: Toshiba's Cell TV hands-on at CES

Toshiba's Cell TV hands-on at CES originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 06 Jan 2010 14:10:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Toshiba introduces ZX900 Series 55-inch and 65-inch Cell TVs for the US

Paul Miller — Wed, 06 Jan 2010 13:53:00 EST

Originally envisioned last year as a 4k x 2k monstrosity, Toshiba's ZX900 Cell TV has been humbled slightly for its market debut. Still, the processing power is what's really on display here, and Toshiba claims that it's packed 143 times the processing power over existing televisions. That processing makes way for Toshiba's Resolution+ upscaling, a 480Hz frame rate (completely ready for 3D), and some home media server capabilities as well. The centerpiece is the Net TV applications, which include Netflix, VUDU, CinemaNow and Pandora, and there's 802.11n WiFi and 1TB of HDD for streaming and storage. There's also mention of video phone capability, but it's unclear if has a built-in webcam (doubtful) or if you've got to bring your own USB number. Unfortunately, the biggest draw of this TV in its Japanese incarnation is its eight tuners, and for whatever reason that special distinction has been removed from this US version. The 55-inch and 65-inch displays use KIRA2 LED-backlit displays with 512 zones of localized dimming, and just in case this was wasn't enough, the sets have built-in Wireless HD and to connect the Cell-packing set-top box to the display wire-free. Of course, once you involve a set-top box you're kind of nullifying some of the magic of building a TV "with a Cell processor," but we'll let it slide. Just this once, Toshiba. Both TVs will be out "later this year" for an undisclosed, sure-to-be-huge price. A press release is after the break.

Continue reading Toshiba introduces ZX900 Series 55-inch and 65-inch Cell TVs for the US

Toshiba introduces ZX900 Series 55-inch and 65-inch Cell TVs for the US originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 06 Jan 2010 13:53:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Toshiba's Cell TV delivers a slightly-less ultimate eight tuner DVR experience December 10

Richard Lawler — Mon, 07 Dec 2009 15:20:00 EST

~~Blu-ray and the Cell processor are back together again~~, now that Toshiba has jumped on the format and is ready to release its first Cell TV, the Regza 55X1, in Japan December 10. Just making it in 2009 as promised, the path to launch has cost this initial release the 4K resolution screen we'd hoped for, with a 1080p LED backlit display hooked to the aforementioned Blu-ray DVR, 3TB HDD and slick 3D GUI for navigating all sorts of content from the internet or recording from as many as 8 tuners at one time. Also pushed back? Some video on-demand services, but we're pretty sure that at this point a few software updates on the way isn't holding back anyone from the "ultimate entertainment machine."

Update: Our friends at Engadget Japan just pinged us to inform that Blu-ray was also one of the features left on the cutting room floor. Without that, our ¥1,000,000 is staying firmly in our theoretical Japanese wallet -- Toshiba, let us know how v2 works out.

Toshiba's Cell TV delivers a slightly-less ultimate eight tuner DVR experience December 10 originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 07 Dec 2009 15:20:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Toshiba's Cell TV still on for 2009 debut, now with Blu-ray

Richard Lawler — Wed, 23 Sep 2009 23:52:00 EST

Just in case there was any doubt, Toshiba has confirmed plans to launch its halo product, the Cell (for Cell Broadband engine, similar to the one in the PS3) TV, with all the LED backlit 3D GUI, 3840x2160 resolution, and DLNA streaming capabilities one could want, in Japan by the end of the year. Thanks to the company's new religion, it will also feature a Blu-ray recorder to go along with the 1TB hard drive, though we can bet that will be axed before making its way stateside in 2010. Of course we're still looking forward to the Media Center Extender packing display expected here some time soon, but when an executive promises the "ultimate entertainment machine" we can't help but wonder what's in store. More detailed specifications and any pricing info other than "it will be fairly expensive" are still unavailable.

Filed under: Displays, Other hardware, Toshiba, LCD

Toshiba's Cell TV still on for 2009 debut, now with Blu-ray originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 23 Sep 2009 23:52:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Toshiba's Cell processor powered TV still on for '09?

Richard Lawler — Wed, 08 Apr 2009 13:56:00 EST

Latest word from Toshiba is that its Cell TV -- the network video slurping, six HD tuner recording, SD-to-4K upscaling, 3D GUI powered beast -- will launch in about six months in Japan. Previously we'd been expecting a 2010 debut, although both dates could be true, with Japan seeing the new technology first, Europe later and the U.S. likely somewhere in between. Can't wait until then? Check out our spy shots from the CES show floor or Toshiba's press conference.

Filed under: Displays, Set-top boxes, Toshiba, LCD

Toshiba's Cell processor powered TV still on for '09? originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 08 Apr 2009 13:56:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Toshiba shows off Cell TV interface, shoots for production in 2010

Darren Murph — Tue, 24 Mar 2009 02:35:00 EST

Toshiba's been talking up / showing off its Cell TV for quite awhile now, but a recent demonstration seen by the UK branch of CNET shed some light on Tosh's future plans for the technology. The Japanese language user interface (shown above) was said to be downright gorgeous and stupendously fluid, and they were even clued in on a concept that could use one main Cell TV as a "central brain," while other sets around the home could act as "dumb screens" that simply borrow computing power from the big guy. We're also told that Cell TV may actually arrive as a two-piece set; a standard monitor plus a dedicated set-top-box with the TV tuner, processor, etc. We know lots could change between now and then, but given that "then" is slated to be 2010, we're definitely expecting to see more near-final prototypes crop up over the next few months.

Filed under: Displays, Toshiba, LCD

Toshiba shows off Cell TV interface, shoots for production in 2010 originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 24 Mar 2009 02:35:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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NEC shows off super resolution upconverting for your cell, HDTV and all in between

Richard Lawler — Wed, 04 Feb 2009 19:52:00 EST

Let's face it, that low res cellphone video of last weekend's party and your Days of Thunder VHS won't be upscaling themselves, hence the sudden explosion of Super Resolution technology including this most recent entry from NEC. Claiming low power and memory requirements, part number uPD9245GJ is ready for duty blowing up images for display on your VGA cellphone or nav system without blurring, or upscaling low res sources to 1080p in a Blu-ray player or HDTV. Don't let the ridiculous soundtrack on the demo reel fool you -- recent reviews have given super resolution tech a thumbs up, and with Toshiba, Hitachi and Broadcom already in the game we've got a clue what feature will be checkmarked on your next electronics purchase.

Filed under: NEC

NEC shows off super resolution upconverting for your cell, HDTV and all in between originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 04 Feb 2009 19:52:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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NEC shows off super resolution upconverting for your cell, HDTV and all in between

Richard Lawler — Wed, 04 Feb 2009 19:52:00 EST

Filed under: Cellphones, Displays, HDTV

NEC shows off super resolution upconverting for your cell, HDTV and all in between originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 04 Feb 2009 19:52:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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NEC shows off super resolution upconverting for your cell, HDTV and all in between

Richard Lawler — Wed, 04 Feb 2009 19:52:00 EST

Filed under: Displays, Others

NEC shows off super resolution upconverting for your cell, HDTV and all in between originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 04 Feb 2009 19:52:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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CES showfloor HDTV spyshot roundup

Steven Kim — Thu, 08 Jan 2009 01:52:00 EST

We've been busy shutterbugs while wandering around the CES showfloor, and here's a rundown of some new TVs that drifted in front of our lens. Take a stroll with us past the break and see what we picked up.

Continue reading CES showfloor HDTV spyshot roundup

Filed under: CES, HDTV

CES showfloor HDTV spyshot roundup originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 08 Jan 2009 01:52:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Toshiba showing off 56-inch Cell-based 4k x 2k HDTV, prototype MIDs

Darren Murph — Wed, 07 Jan 2009 03:40:00 EST

Unlike most everyone else at CES, Toshiba has decided to out all of its expo materials in one single PR. Unfortunately, we were already well aware of most things mentioned, but we felt it prudent to pass along a few unique mentions. First off, it'll be demonstrating a Cell-based prototype HDTV with a 56-inch 4k x 2k panel; said set can upconvert full 1080p to 3,840 x 2,160p thanks to its Resolution+ technology, which frankly has our mouths watering profusely. Additionally, we'll supposedly see a 55-inch LED-backlit panel that's also controlled by the Cell platform, which will seek to demonstrate "high-speed control of all picture parameters, including an innovative local dimming function." In somewhat related news (but not at all, really), we're also told of a few conceptual MIDs that'll make it to the show floor, including an internet notepad, a water-resistant viewer and a 5-millimeter card-sized device. For the full spill, give that read link a gentle tap.

Filed under: Displays, Toshiba, LCD

Toshiba showing off 56-inch Cell-based 4k x 2k HDTV, prototype MIDs originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 07 Jan 2009 03:40:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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