Monday, January 05, 2015

This $9K Machine Could Usher in the Era of 3D-Printed Electronics

Source: http://gizmodo.com/this-9k-machine-could-usher-in-the-era-of-3d-printed-e-1677580682

This $9K Machine Could Usher in the Era of 3D-Printed Electronics

The technology that would enable us to 3D-print electronics along with the circuits that make them work has been around for a while, but a team of Harvard researchers just announced a new 3D-printer that could change the game. Soon, you could 3D print a drone in your living room—which is insane.

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Toyota Made Over 5,600 Of Its Fuel Cell Patents Available Royalty-Free

Source: http://gizmodo.com/toyota-made-over-5-600-of-its-fuel-cell-patents-availab-1677275142

Toyota Made Over 5,600 Of Its Fuel Cell Patents Available Royalty-Free

In an effort to help spread the adoption and further the development of the hydrogen fuel cell technology the company developed for its FCV concept vehicle—now known as the Mirai—Toyota has announced that it's making approximately 5,680 fuel cell patents available for royalty-free use.

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Samsung Made a 105-Inch Bendy UHD TV Because Why Wouldn't They

Source: http://gizmodo.com/samsung-made-a-105-inch-bendy-uhd-tv-because-why-not-1677581763

Samsung Made a 105-Inch Bendy UHD TV Because Why Wouldn't They

Last year, both Samsung and LG trotted out bendable (flexible?) UHD TVs that morph from curved to flat with the push of a button. This year, LG plans to bring a 77-inch model to market , which is nice! But a little meek next to Samsung's 105-inch display model. It'll probably never be more than a mythical trade show apparition, but damn, it's beautiful.

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Sharp's new 4K TVs include a set that acts like it's 8K

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2015/01/05/sharp-4k-tv-at-ces-2015/

Sharp Aquos 4K TV with Pixel Splitting

Now that 4K TVs are no longer a novelty, manufacturers are bending over backward to show you that their sets are somehow more 4K than everyone else's. Need proof? Just look at the flagship of Sharp's newly unveiled 2015 lineup, the 80-inch AQUOS Beyond 4K Ultra HD TV (yes, that's the name). Its namesake trick both cuts pixels in half vertically and lets subpixels create their own color values, leading to a near-8K (7,680 x 4,320) effective picture. The boasts of extra resolution stretch credulity a bit -- you can't add detail that wasn't in the original picture, folks -- but you'll at least know that your TV isn't to blame for fuzzy imagery. As it stands, this ultimate set has a few down-to-earth upgrades over Sharp's previous efforts, including better upscaling and an improved LED backlight that widens the color range. The company hasn't nailed down pricing, but it'll be reportedly be competitive with other high-end sets when it arrives late this year.

You'll have plenty of options if you're willing to settle for "normal" 4K. The entry-level UB30 series now comes in sizes between 43 and 65 inches with the new upscaler. Spend more on the UE30 (60 through 80 inches) and you'll get a newer version of Sharp's SmartCentral platform with Android TV, LED dimming and a smoother-looking 480Hz refresh rate; jump to the UH30 (70 and 80 inches) and you'll get the color-enhancing backlight, a speedy 960Hz refresh rate and a touchpad remote. All three of these 4K model lines will ship in the spring, with prices ranging from $750 for a 43-inch UB30 to $6,000 for the 80-inch UH30.

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TV makers and Hollywood team up to save 4K from themselves

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2015/01/05/samsung-lg-hollywood-try-to-not-screw-up-4K/

We've seen at past CES how overzealous money grabs by electronics manufacturers can turn the public off to new technology (hello 3D), but it appears the industry might be learning. A long list of big names just announced they're joining the "UHD Alliance" to "set the bar" for next-generation video. That list includes Samsung, LG, Panasonic, Sony Visual Product, DirecTV, Netflix, Dolby, Disney and Fox, and they altogether claim it's put together with the consumer in mind first. We've already seen a slew of content agreements and services that only work with a particular manufacturer's devices (DirecTV and Samsung, Sony's UHD streaming box), but things are slowly getting better. The new team-up promises to work on 4K video, High Dynamic Range (which Netflix announced during LG's press conference earlier), Wide color Gamut and Immersive Audio -- we'll see if that's enough to keep the UHD goose laying golden eggs.

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