The best TVs of CES 2014 – The Verge

Spec Sheet: the curving, flexing, and low-cost 4K TVs of CES 2014

2014-01-09T10:59:48-05:00

It wouldn't be CES without manufacturers showcasing some of the nicest TVs in the world. This year, those TVs have a few big focuses: gigantic sizes, curved displays, and 4K. While these sets are often about proving companies' abilities more than building actual products for consumers to buy, that isn't entirely the case this year. A few of this CES' most interesting and best-looking TV sets are headed to market, and others are making 4K more affordable than ever.

Inexpensive, but far from cheap

Nowhere is that last item more evident than Vizio, which unveiled a 4K TV for $999.99 this week. It's easy to assume that such a low-cost set wouldn …

Read the full story at The Verge.

Panasonic’s 4K OLED TV curves both ways

2014-01-07T20:36:54-05:00

Gallery Photo: Panasonic's curved 4K OLED TV

Stroll around the halls of CES and you'll see plenty of weird things, but one of the more legitimately impressive sights is provided by Panasonic and its curved OLED displays. Six 55-inch panels are lined up in an S shape in the middle of the Japanese company's booth: three concave screens connect to three convex ones to create the shape.

It's really just a tech demo for Panasonic's OLED display printing tech, rather than a demo of any immediately forthcoming retail product, but it achieves its purpose with aplomb. There's still disagreement about whether curves really make a positive difference to TV designs, and convex ones surely aren't …

Read the full story at The Verge.

Sony’s new shape for TVs: the wedge

2014-01-06T20:02:57-05:00

via dl.dropboxusercontent.com

Sony's taking a new approach to TVs this year. While its competitors have been busy making their sets slimmer or giving their displays a gentle curve, Sony decided to focus on another shape. At CES today, it's unveiling a series of TV sets featuring what it's calling a wedge design - sets with deep, triangular sides that taper in thickness as they rise. It's a striking and stylish look, and more importantly, it allows Sony to take advantage of the extra space. Rather than building in a set of basic stereo speakers, Sony uses the added room to include three more-capable speakers on either side of some of the sets.

The wedge creates room for b …

Read the full story at The Verge.

Samsung reveals a wild bendable TV prototype and its curved, 105-inch Ultra HD TV

2014-01-06T17:00:02-05:00

via cdn2.sbnation.com

Samsung has made a habit of demoing some off-the-wall television designs at CES, and this year is no different. The strangest new design is a wild 85-inch prototype that the company's simply calling the "Bendable TV." The demo unit switched between a flat panel and a curved screen at the touch of a button, with a mechanical system pushing out the edges of the screen to achieve the transformation. It's eerie to see a 85-inch television bend before your eyes, and while it makes for a very impressive tech demo, we aren't sure what Samsung plans to do with the TV. The company claims there are situations where you might want to switch to a curved …

Read the full story at The Verge.

Panasonic claims its new 4K TVs offer plasma-like picture quality

2014-01-06T14:01:05-05:00

Panasonic Life+Series

Panasonic's plasma TVs may be history, but the company isn't forgetting the legacy they've left behind. During its CES presentation moments ago, Panasonic claimed that its newly unveiled 4K LED televisions offer the same picture quality as its critically acclaimed plasma sets, which were discontinued last year to the dismay of many home-theater enthusiasts. Obviously the resolution is far greater, but Panasonic displayed a color chart as evidence that its new Life+Screen series exceeds the impressive color reproduction of the ZT60 - the best plasma panel the company ever produced. Panasonic's consumer 4K TVs are due later this year in 58 and …

Read the full story at The Verge.

Panasonic and Mozilla join forces to develop Firefox OS-powered Smart TVs

2014-01-06T14:00:03-05:00

panasonic tv stock

Firefox OS, Mozilla's HTML5-based platform designed to go toe-to-toe with iOS and Android, may soon find its way into the living room. Panasonic announced today that it's partnering with the software company to help "develop and promote" Firefox OS on next-gen Smart TVs, with the goal of turning the operating system into a hub for future Smart Homes. The move marks Mozilla's first major foray into the war for TV.

Mozilla is joining the war for the living room

According to the official release, the partnership will allow developers to build apps and cloud services into future televisions based on the same APIs that underpin Mozilla's web and …

Read the full story at The Verge.

LG’s new flexible OLED TV is its most stunning one yet

2014-01-06T13:47:12-05:00

Gallery Photo: LG's 77-inch curved OLED TV

One of the best traditions of CES is getting to see the jaw-dropping brilliance of large-screened OLED TVs, primarily from the two Korean giants LG and Samsung. This year has been no different, though LG has cranked things up a couple of notches by curving its 77-inch OLED panel. The new TV, though it's taking a secondary position behind the new webOS software and the 105-inch curved IPS LCD, is my personal favorite from LG's debuts at CES 2014, with its stupendously thin bezels and engrossing picture quality. It has to also be said the curve on the display works much better on such a large scale than it does on the peculiar 6-inch G Flex ha …

Read the full story at The Verge.

Vizio announces its first consumer 4K TVs, kills all 3D support

2014-01-06T08:00:02-05:00

VIZIO P-SERIES EMBARGO JAN 6 8AM ET

A year after unveiling its first 4K TV prototype, Vizio is fully commiting to the ultra high-def technology. Here at CES, the company is expanding its TV lineup to include a new P Series - Vizio's first consumer-grade 4K television. Set to be in available in sizes ranging between 50 and 70 inches, the P Series, in Vizio's own words, "is the culmination of advanced picture quality, powerful performance and a beautifully simple Ultra HD experience." These TVs feature advanced local dimming, a backlight that consists of 64 Active LED Zones, and even Vizio's very own custom silicon. All of that fancy language means that you'll ultimately be look …

Read the full story at The Verge.

Dolby Vision: the future of TV is really, really bright

2014-01-06T08:00:02-05:00

dolby lede

Over the past few years TV manufacturers have been incorporating a parade of new technologies with one goal in mind: getting customers into their local Best Buys to pick up a new television. 3D, 4K, curved screens; the list goes on, but ultimately these relatively iterative upgrades have failed to capture the public imagination.

Here at CES, Dolby is lining up TV and media partners in its own bid to get consumers excited again: a product it's calling "Dolby Vision." It's a set of technologies that cover everything from the mastering process to displays themselves, and the company has been quietly showing off demos in recent months. Colors p …

Read the full story at The Verge.

Dish’s ‘Virtual Joey’ app brings the Hopper DVR experience to LG Smart TVs

2014-01-05T19:00:02-05:00

Dish Virtual Joey EMBARGO JANUARY 5 at 4PM PT

Dish already makes it fairly easy to watch live TV and DVR content throughout your house. Its small Joey set-top box can be placed in any room and communicate with the main Hopper in a customer's living room. But things will be even more convenient soon for owners of LG Smart TVs. The two companies today announced that a "Virtual Joey" app will allow these customers to watch TV (both live and recorded programming) just as they normally would with a wired Joey - except there won't be any extra hardware in sight. The Virtual Joey app will be available for 2013 and 2014 model LG Smart TVs and is scheduled to launch sometime this spring. As alwa …

Read the full story at The Verge.