The first 100Hz LCD TV sets were shown off by Samsung back at CeBit back in 2006. Using advanced processing powers, the TV analysed each frame, and then created a composite frame in between the two to smooth over motion blurring. This essentially allows the picture to run at 100 frames per second, which translates to smoother pictures.

If that sounds a bit confusing you should check out this old post explaining the NTSC version of the same technology, 120Hz. The difference between the two is that NTSC traditionally runs at 60Hz, where as PAL runs at 50Hz, and so both techs simply double the frame rate. It’s argued though that 120Hz, which is a multiple of the 24p frame rate of movies, is therefore superior for watching films.

The simple rule today is that if you’re buying an LCD TV, make sure it has at least 100Hz technology on board. There’s another, newer version of the tech called 200Hz, but as a minimum requirement, having 100Hz is a must.

History of TV is Giz AU’s month-long look back at the development of the world-changing medium and its influence on our daily lives.

You will learn important lessons like: sizing your TV to optimise resolution, whether to choose LCD vs plasma vs LED and why you don’t need to spend money on a 240Hz TV. So make sure to check out the following link before you shop. [HDGuru]

If you’re a fan of LCD TVs, then you owe a gentleman by the name of George H. Heilmeier your eternal thanks. Back in 1964 when he was working in the laboratories at RCA, Heilmeier discovered the ability to switch colours in liquid crystals through the application of electrical current. This discovery allowed a clear liquid crystal substance to turn milky, and was the first Liquid Crystal Display.

But a milky colour is a long way from the Full HD LCD TVs we see today. Heilmeier’s LCD technology used something known as “Dynamic Scattering Mode” to align the liquid crystals, yet this technique required lots of energy and was limited in its scope. In 1970, Hoffman-LaRoche in Switzerland filed for a patent for the “Twisted Nematic Field Effect”, which didn’t require a flowing current to work, making it much more attractive a display technology. It was this development that saw LCD make its way into the first digital watches in the ’70s.

In the 1980s, LCD made its way into computer monitors. The fact that it was a “thin” technology made it especially suited for this purpose, although the technology’s slow refresh rate meant that it struggled with moving images, like scrolling text. In 1988, Sharp took LCD to the next level by launching a 14-inch LCD TV, although it still battled with refresh rate issues and the subsequent difficulties with movement on screen.

When it came time to expand into the larger screen sizes, in the late 1990s and early this decade, LCD struggled to compete with plasma. It had the benefit of brighter backlighting and lower power consumption, but the bigger screens made the refresh rate issue even more noticeable. However, as this decade proceeded, developments such as improved refresh rates and the introduction of 100Hz saw the technology not only catch up to plasma, but overtake it.

Nowadays, you’re much more likely to purchase an LCD than any other display technology. Not bad for something that started out turning clear liquid to a milky substance, huh?

History of TV is Giz AU’s month-long look back at the development of the world-changing medium and its influence on our daily lives.

The deal is available from some time next week through to the 10th of January next year, while stocks last – and there are 5000 available…

Does this make you want to grab a Regza?

[Toshiba]

Gaze Through LG’s Window into a Beauty

BORDERLESS™ Design Creates a Streamlined TV with Astonishing Picture Quality

Sydney, Australia, 9 November 2009 – LG Electronics (LG), a major player in the global flat panel display and audio-video devices market, today announced the Australian launch of its BORDERLESSTM range of premium televisions. The new LG SL90 Full HD LED LCD TV and SL80 Full HD LCD TV boast a unique single layer screen that represents the future of television design and offers consumers a more sophisticated choice in televisions.

LG’s BORDERLESSTM vision is to create the limitless freedom to see things in a whole new way. LG took a single sheet of glass and crafted it into something more – a television that represents the new standard in its class, one certain to become a design icon. With borderless freedom also comes endless connectivity. LG’s new BORDERLESSTM range offers consumers a greater range of entertainment choices in one product, with integrated Bluetooth, DivX and USB port. LG’s BORDERLESSTM television range has been designed to stand out among its kind and become the defining centrepiece of your living room.

LG’s latest masterpiece, the SL90 Full HD LED LCD TV, delivers picture quality as flawless as its smooth surface by using an LED backlight and LG’s advanced technology. The TV uses the unique Injection Compression Molding (ICM) technology and film lamination to eliminate the gap between the screen and the bezel. A special sheet of laminate film completes the SL90’s perfectly flat surface, causing the boundary between screen and the bezel to vanish while also significantly reducing glare. The result is a uniform, uninterrupted surface from edge-to-edge, with no visible borders. The screen and bezel are the same deep shade of black all the way across and LG even carried this down to the glasslike stand. With a depth of just 2.9cm, the SL90 is a beautiful window into a new world of home entertainment.

“LG’s SL90 BORDERLESS™ TV is captivating whether on or off, acting as an artistic centrepiece for any living room and drawing viewers in with its high-quality LED-backlit picture,” said Warren Kim, TV Category Manager, LG Electronics Australia. “Our SL90 and SL80 BORDERLESS™ TVs are a perfect example of why LG is leading in innovative design and working to meet the needs of a broad spectrum of consumers.”

Inside its glossy enclosure, LG’s SL90 hides technology that produces a great picture and makes the TV even more entertaining. An LED backlight helps produce an extremely high dynamic contrast ratio of 3,000,000:1 for truer blacks and finer gradations between greys. An anti-glare Full HD 1080p screen reduces distracting reflections and ensures that everyone in the room has a cinema-quality experience. For fast-moving action, LG’s TruMotion 100Hz technology improves sharpness and fine detail while reducing motion trails for exceptional clarity.

With LG’s recently refined Invisible Speakers, the SL90 sounds exceptional without the need for unsightly speaker grilles that would ruin the TV’s aesthetic. LG’s new Invisible Speaker, easily hidden on the bottom of the set, delivers superior sound quality and makes the TV appear even slimmer.

The SL90’s ability to connect wirelessly to an entire library of digital content is as attractive as the TV itself. Bluetooth brings music and photos from compatible mobile phones directly to the big screen without any cables. This same technology can be used to connect wireless headphones for private listening. A USB 2.0 port hidden on the SL90’s back opens digital media options even wider, playing JPEG, MP3, MPEG4 and DivX files from external hard drives, memory cards (through a memory card reader) or thumb drives.

“When we were creating the SL90, we had to break down numerous barriers in our minds,” said Simon Kang, CEO and President of LG Home Entertainment Company. “This was the first time we used our Injection Compression Molding technology for a TV and we had to free ourselves to think of a new BORDERLESS™ design. The TV is free from physical borders and its ability to easily connect to digital media means that its entertainment possibilities are just as BORDERLESS™ as its design. This is the beginning of a journey for LG TV.”

The second model in LG’s BORDERLESS™ range is the SL80 Full HD LCD TV. Unlike conventional LCD TVs, where the panel is recessed slightly within a thick plastic frame, LG’s new SL80 has a single-layer design that sets the panel flush with the narrow bezel surrounding it. LG even went so far as to ensure that the all of the TV’s exterior components perfectly match the colour of the LCD panel when the TV is turned off.

“The SL80 is unlike any Full HD LCD TV you’ve ever seen before. It’s a true work of art,” said Warren Kim, TV Category Manager, LG Electronics Australia. “With its BORDERLESS™ design, the TV appears to be a window into a new world of Full HD entertainment. This TV perfectly combines artistic design with the ultimate in picture quality and easy-to-use features, making it unlike anything else in the market.”

Also featuring ICM Technology to create a more unified and sleeker look for the TV, the SL80 utilises LG’s laminating technology, preserving the SL80’s looks by making the TV scratch resistant.

The Full HD SL80 boasts incredible picture quality thanks to LG’s TruMotion 200Hz technology, which significantly reduces motion blur and streaking for fast moving images, using scanning backlight technology. This also brings the TV’s response time down to a blistering 2 ms. In addition, a 150,000:1 dynamic fine contrast ratio brings far greater depth to every scene, with blacks that are dark as night and vivid colours.

LG’s exclusive Smart Energy Saving Plus technology helps make both the SL90 (Five and half Star Energy Star Rating) & SL80 friendlier to the environment, reducing power consumption while also ensuring optimum picture quality and reducing eyestrain for viewers. It uses LG’s Intelligent Sensor, which analyses the ambient light in the room and automatically adjusts picture settings and backlight intensity accordingly.

“People are very selective about the furniture and artwork for their homes,” continues Kim. “They want something beautiful, something that reflects their personalities. Until now, they have not had this choice when it comes to flat panel TVs. With LG’s new SL80 and SL90’s slim, BORDERLESS™ design, people can now choose a TV that reflects their high level of sophistication and taste while also delivering incredible picture and sound.”

LG’s Full HD LED LCD TV (SL90) is available now in 47” and 42” sizes (47SL90QD – SRP $3,799, 42SL90QD – SRP $3,099).

LG’s Full HD LCD TV (SL80) is available now in four screen sizes (55SL80YD –SRP$4,499, 47SL80YD –SRP$2,799, 42SL80YD – SRP$2,299, 37SL80YD – SRP$1,799).

LG SL90 Full HD LED LCD TV

l BORDERLESS™ Design
l Perfect Slim 2.9cm
l 3,000,000:1 Dynamic Contrast Ratio
l TruMotion 100Hz
l Full HD 1080p
l Picture Wizard
l AV Mode
l 24p Real Cinema
l Expert Mode (ISF Ready)
l Bluetooth
l HD DivX
l USB 2.0
l Intelligent Sensor II
l Smart Energy Saving Plus
l Clear Voice II
l Invisible Speaker

LG SL80 Full HD LCD TV

l BORDERLESS™ Design
l TruMotion 200Hz
l Full HD 1080p
l Picture Wizard
l AV Mode
l 24p Real Cinema
l Expert Mode (ISF Ready)
l Bluetooth
l HD DivX
l USB 2.0
l Intelligent Sensor II
l Smart Energy Saving Plus
l Clear Voice II
l Invisible Speaker

For more information please visit www.lge.com.au/borderless or call 1300 LG CARE (1300 542 273) for stockists.

In other words, bumping up the refresh rates beyond 60 Hz may have eliminated the problem of motion blur, but some complain that the activation of the ME/MC circuit that kicks in when LCD sets achieve these high refresh rates desegregates the picture. As the video put together by HDGuru illustrates, this is a very real problem.

That having been said, LCD buyers have a few options. Most sets offer an option to turn off ME/MC although that will result in lower motion resolution. You could also opt for a plasma set that doesn’t suffer from this issue. It also reinforces a point I made with yesterday’s article — you don’t need to spend extra money on a LCD just because it advertises 240Hz. You probably won’t see any additional benefit with that set than you would with one that tops out at 120Hz. Check out HDGuru for the full details and results of the test. [HDGuru]

The HDTVs included models from the top-tier brands of (alphabetically) LG, Samsung, Sharp and Sony – from the mid-line to top-of-the-line models. All of the units were from the 2008 model year. Differences between the 2008 and 2009 models are primarily in their marketing hype. For this article we had three flagship top-of-the line LCD models from Samsung (LN-T5281F), Sharp (LC-52D92U) and Sony (KDL-52XBR4). By studying the top-of-the-line models from the market leaders we were assured of examining the state-of-the-art for each display technology and each manufacturer. The consumer mid-line models included LG (42LG50), Samsung (LN40A550P3F), and Sony (KDL-40V3000). The remaining two LCD units were consumer HDTVs but not commercially available models.

The top-of-the-line Sony XBR and Sharp units had 120 Hz screen refresh, the top-of-the-line Samsung had strobed LED backlighting, and all of the other units had standard 60 Hz screen refresh. The goal was to determine the degree to which this varied advanced technology affected visible motion blur.

DisplayMate analysed the blur using moving test patterns, moving photographs and live video (a Nikon D90 DSLR with a shutter speed of 1/160th of a second was used for the photography) and found that no actual motion blur detectable in any of the live video content — although there were incidents that were passed off as defects in the source video or temporary optical illusions.

After extensive side-by-side objective testing with moving test patterns, moving photographs and live video we found that there was no visually detectable difference in motion blur performance for current mid to top-of-the-line LCD HDTVs, regardless of their Response Time, 60 or 120 Hz refresh rates, strobed LED backlighting, or motion enhancement processing. While there was considerable motion blur in the moving test patterns, motion blur was simply not visually detectable in real live video content during our extensive side-by-side testing. With only a handful of minor exceptions, whenever blur was seen in live video we always found it to be in the source content or a temporary visual illusion that disappeared when the segments in question were reviewed. This is undoubtedly due to the way the brain processes and extracts essential information from dynamic and complex moving images.

In other words, DisplayMate thinks you are probably seeing things. Don’t be fooled by manufacturers charging extra for fancy motion blur technologies or claims of exceptional response times. If you purchased a mid to top tier model you shouldn’t have anything to worry about. Of course, this test doesn’t remotely cover all of the LCD brands out there, so I have to ask — based on your experience, do you believe that LCD makers have finally tamed the motion blur beast? [DisplayMate]

Those 40-inch panels will still be “fairly expensive”, but LG says new manufacturing processes will drive down costs by 2016.

LG Display aims to achieve a 50% higher material cost and a 30% lower yield than those of LCD panels in 2012 and a 20-30% lower material cost and an equivalent yield in 2016.

That’s a pretty big call, but I like where their head’s at. [Nikkei via OLED-Display.net]

The T-Hub is a device that connects your Telstra home phone and your Telstra Broadband wirelessly, and features a 7-inch LCD touchscreen that allows you to jump on board a whole heap of Sensis based services.

From the Telstra staff Intranet description:

Customers will be able to make calls easily scrolling through their contact list and pressing “Call”. Or if a plumber is needed, click to search Yellow Pages online and select the number to call. Enjoy the added convenience of sending SMS to mobile numbers on the Telstra network and to most Australian fixed numbers, or checking the weather forecast, or scheduling family events and appointments on the electronic calendar.

The memo also describes the T-Hub as a potential photo frame or internet radio player.

The device is supposed to be available in the “coming months”. But from reading through that description, there doesn’t seem to be any killer feature that my mobile phone or laptop can’t do just as easily. Although maybe if Telstra do follow through on their promise to drop pricing, it might come part of a bundle option? Would that sway opinions?

There’s no word on exactly what games are included, other than the fact that they’re “premium” games, but from the image it looks like Halo: ODST and Kameo are included. As for which TVs are eligible, you can get the LC40LE700X, LC40LB700X, LC42D77X, LC46D77X, LC52D77X, or LC65RX1X. Catchy names, huh?

For more info, head on over to Sharp’s promo page. The deal’s running until December 31.

[Sharp – Thanks Luke!]