We were at IFA for the press conferences and we went to press just as the show itself was due to start, but already there were some interesting snippets of news from the press events, held before the show floor opened.
Intel held the first press event and played up its new Generation 6 Core processors (Skylake). Particularly impressive was the three UltraHD screen “World of Tanks” demo. Intel is keen to impress PC gamers and Kirk Skaugen particularly emphasised how much work Intel has put into this generation of chips to boost video processing.
Acer also highlighted its gaming interests under the “Predator” sub-brand, which is doing well in Germany. Among the new products talked about (but not on show at that point) were a new laser-phosphor UST projector for gamers and a 35″ curved monitor with “overclocking” to 200Hz. For both Intel and Acer, two-in-ones are an important category.
Asus had a 165Hz gaming monitor and also talked about the ZenWatch 2, the ZenFone Zoom, which has a 3X optical zoom and a smart stick PC. We trecked across Berlin to the off-site venue to have a look at the monitor, but it wasn’t there!
Sony really didn’t have much to say about TVs and displays, although Kaz Hirai was emphasising that Sony has a lot of image processing knowledge that is in its high end processing chips in its top sets. Sony also showed a portable UST projector that is designed to turn many surfaces in the home into display surfaces. Few details were released, with shipment due in the spring. The new Xperia Z5 smartphone, on the other hand, has a new UltraHD LCD 5.5″ display with over 800ppi. It was being shown at the event, but few technical details were available on the display itself – although we do know that it will incorporate Trluminos technology. There was a lot of emphasis on cameras and sensors for smartphones from Sony.
Panasonic has lots of interests outside the display area, but the highlight for us was a new CZ950 OLED-based TV. This curved unit is said to have (by an independent Hollywood colourist) “reference monitor” quality on UltraHD content, so we’re looking forward to the demos at the main show event. The 65″ set will be available next month and is THX-certified.
Samsung didn’t have much new to say about TV, although there were a lot of claims about market share and the success of curved sets in Germany, in particular. There’s a new streaming service for game play (but few details) and lots and lots of emphasis on the IoT. Samsung, of course, released the Galaxy 6 Edge+ and Note 5 ahead of IFA, although this was the first chance we have had to look at them “up close”. There was lots of talk of new deals with VW and BMW for the integration of new functions integrating smart devices and cars.
Dolby mentioned at an event we went to in Berlin that it has got support for the Dolby Vision technology from Mediatek, Realtek and other chip companies – an important step in trying to establish Dolby Vision in the TV business.
The prototype TV that Philips showed last year, with pico projectors in the rear of the chassis (Display Monitor Vol 21 No 36) is now a real product. Based on the “overwhelming” reaction, Philips/TP Vision have constructed the Ambilux 8900. Nine projectors are concealed in the chassis, which boost the resolution of Philips’ Ambilight technology and make it appear as if the image is extending from the screen.
Toshiba is very focused in improving the quality of mobile displays (finally, someone is! – TA). To support this, the company is working with Technicolor on its latest convertible PC, the Satellite Radius 12. This model features Technicolor’s ChromaTune software, and features Adobe RGB, sRGB and Rec.709 modes.
LG was focusing on the flat OLED TVs that it launched in Korea earlier this year. Aside from these, there were few new display products on the stand.
