B&O: Get your paws off our TouchLess remote

Bang & Olufsen has always been driven by avant-garde designs, but its latest concept for a remote control may be crossing the line from innovation to science fiction. Apparently not satisfied with its previous efforts, no matter how bizarre they may be already, B&O is contemplating a model that requires no physical contact to operate. We're not kidding.

The aptly named TouchLess was inspired by germaphobic trends that are increasingly influencing product development, leading the company's design mavens to work on a device that would never be sullied by your bacteria-infested mitts. "Designed primarily for kitchen use, the TouchLess can control the cooker, washing machine, and boil a kettle from the comfort of your armchair," T3 says, as well as command the media center with simple Louis XIV-style wave of the hand. What's next for B&O R&D? A cloak of invisibility, of course.



Via Crave CNET

Pioneer picks Panasonic to make plasmas

Panasonic has been tapped to pinch-hit for Pioneer.

The two television makers said Wednesday they had come to an agreement in which Panasonic will produce the panels for Pioneer's plasma televisions.

The news comes a month after reports surfaced that Pioneer was pulling out of the plasma business. When Pioneer confirmed it would be finding someone who could make the panels more inexpensively than it could, there was a sense of dismay and disappointment among fans of its Kuro technology. Pioneer plasma TVs are generally regarded by experts--including CNET Asia's own Philip Wong--as having the blackest black levels of any TV on the market.

In a joint statement, the two companies said they will build a new type of panel that integrates Pioneer's Kuro technology and Panasonic's NeoPDP, which it currently uses in its Viera TVs. Panasonic will have the panels sporting the new, combined technology ready for Pioneer by the second half of 2009.

Panasonic is the largest producer of plasma TVs, so the panels should be more affordable for Pioneer, which is trying to cut costs. Neither has said how much the panels will cost.

Via Crave CNET

Westinghouse's acrobatic HDTV

In our longstanding tradition of featuring gadgets that do yoga, Crave is pleased to announce a first in the illustrious category: A contortionist television set.

Westinghouse has created a flip-style HDTV that can actually be folded, to a degree, to fit into the most cramped areas and corners of any given abode. The front bezel of the dual-hinged Flexible Lifestyle Display can be rotated 180 degrees on a tabletop, according to Electronic House, or the TV can be suspended from the wall or bottom of a cabinet, trapeze-style.

The PT-16H610S must maintain a petite frame to accomplish these feats, so its LCD is no larger than 16 inches. The set has full 1080p high-definition resolution, but we're frankly not sure if that's really necessary: If you're installing this in a Manhattan apartment where a hot plate passes for a gourmet kitchen, for example, your nose will probably never be more than 2ft from the screen.

Via Crave CNET

Samsung says OLED monitors coming next year

Sony's teased us for a bit with its impossibly thin, 11-inch organic light-emitting diode (OLED) TV, and finally brought it to the US this year. Now it looks like there will be more to choose from in OLED TVs next year. Samsung SDI says that by 2009, not only will it have OLED panels for larger TVs, but also for monitors and notebook displays, according to a report in Digitimes.

The report quotes Samsung SDI's VP of mobile display marketing, Woo-Jong Lee, who says Samsung SDI will be able to produce 3 million panels in 2009, which is double what it can crank out now. Lee said the company anticipates doubling its capacity again by the close of 2010.

The liquid crystal display (LCD) industry probably doesn't have much to worry about yet. OLED panels are incredibly expensive to produce right now, and, yes, they're awfully pretty. (Sony's 11-inch display achieves a 1 million-to-1 contrast ratio, which is by far the best available for a TV.) But even as production increases from one manufacturer, it doesn't necessarily mean the prices will drop down to where flat panels have sunk. The 11-inch OLED TV from Sony costs US$2,500. For that price you could also get a 42-inch Pioneer Kuro, generally regarded as among the best plasma TVs on the market.

Though Samsung has previously discussed making OLED TVs, the company still has yet to release one. A year ago Toshiba also said it's planning on investing in OLED panels. Sony is betting on OLED's eventual domination of the display market, but it's also heavily invested in LCD.

However, Panasonic, which owns the plasma TV market, doesn't anticipate LCD or plasma TVs fading out anytime soon.

Via CNET News.com

Sony demos 4K technology, Kabuki-style!

Late last Friday, we were invited to a 4K screening of Togitatsu no Utare, a traditional Japanese theater-styled performance, except it was videoed and presented on the big screen. While I would have favored flying bullets, blood and gore anytime, the pristine images and clarity were a sight to behold. Gone were the nostalgic graininess and smooth albeit soft pictures, a definite sign of the times challenging the conventional interpretation of "film-like" among reviewers and enthusiasts alike.

Powering this visual feast is Sony's CineAlta 4K digital cinema system. From a common layman's perspective, it's almost equivalent to four full-HD panels stacked 2 x 2 together. Though in reality, this commercial-oriented technology is far more advanced, involving a suite of end-to-end ultra-high-resolution equipment. Techspeak aside, it was pretty obvious the poor actors were perspiring profusely throughout the performance--we could pick up lots of intricate facial details--and being cocooned in layers of thick fabric simply added to their misery.

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