It seems that 55-Inch OLED TV wasn’t enough for LG: the Korean company today announced it’s ready to showcase another monster TV at the CES 2012 in Las Vegas (which kicks off on January 10). This model comes with a 84-inch 3D LCD display with 4K resolution (3,840×2,160 pixels).

To put things into perspective: 4K resolution, which LG calls “Ultra Definition”, is four times the resolution of full HD. Other details are scarce at this point, but LG promises “slim and narrow bezel design”, controllable 3D picture effects, and 3D sound zooming capability.

The TV, a prototype without price or release date at this point, will also feature Smart TV functionality (access to various 3D movies online, about 1,200 apps, etc.).

LG isn’t alone in the race of next-generation TVs: Toshiba, for example, has just rolled out a 55-Inch Naked-Eye 3D TV with 4K resolution, while Sharp seems to be ready to sell a 60-inch 4K LCD in Japan next year.

NXP Software, developer of the CineXPlayer mobile application, is launching a new iOS app for recording and converting video into 3D. The app, VideoCam3D, lets you record in both blue/red and split screen 3D and works in conjunction with the CineXPlayer video viewing app, which also supports 3D movie playback.

While you obviously need an iOS device with a camera in order to record in 3D, those with iOS devices that lack a camera (like the older model iPad and iPod Touches) can still use the app for 3D conversions. Using iTunes’ “file sharing” feature, you can connect your device to your PC or Mac in order to import videos you recorded elsewhere, then convert them to 3D using the app.

For those unfamiliar, file sharing is the feature in iTunes that lets you transfer files between an iOS device and a computer via supported apps. It’s located on the “Apps” tab for your device in iTunes.

There are just a few video controls in VideoCam3D: a slider bar for 3D “Intensity,” the output type (glasses or split screen) and the intended viewing device (mobile, tablet or TV). When the conversion is complete, the movie is saved to your camera roll, if available, as well as within the app for transfer back to the PC.

The lite (free) version of the app will allow you to try, convert and play, but the paid ($0.99) app lets you save and share the 3D movies you make VideoCam3D from here in iTunes.

Demo video below (note, not my cat):

Do you remember that 55-inch monster of a naked-eye 3D TV Toshiba unveiled back in October? The company now announced [JP] a date (December 10) and confirmed the final price (US$11,700) for the device. But there’s a drawback: Toshiba has still to decide if they will release the TV outside Japan, too.

To recap, the TV features 3,840×2,160 pixels resolution in 2D mode (that’s four times the resolution of full HD) and a solid 1,280×720 resolution in 3D mode. Users are not required to use glasses, just with the smaller naked-eye 3D TVs Toshiba started selling in Japan late last year.

Other features include a 5,000:1 contrast ratio, LED backlight, the “REGZA Engine CEVO Duo” engine, a face-tracking function to enable high-quality 3D pictures for viewers, REGZA LINK, five digital tuners, support for video recording on external HDDs 10W×2ch+10W speakers, four HDMI ports, and two USB ports.

My guess is that Toshiba will only consider selling this TV outside Japan when it performs significantly better than its smaller predecessors.

Since 2006, Tokyo-based Burton has been working on Aerial 3D, a technology that makes it possible to produce pictures in 3D in mid-air or underwater – without using a screen (that’s what I call “True 3D Technology” indeed). Burton says their laser-based system is the only one of its kind.

The current system projects 3D objects at 50,000 dots per second (up from around 1,000 in 2006) and with a frame rate of 10-15. The Aerial 3D works by focusing laser light, producing “plasma excitation from the oxygen and nitrogen in the air”.

As you can see in the video below, the technology still leaves some room for improvement regarding picture quality (Burton currently tries to boost the frame rate), but the 3D objects can be seen floating in mid-air clearly:

Video courtesy of Diginfo TV

Epson Japan announced [JP] the so-called Moverio today, a see-through 3D head-mounted display (HMD), which is the first of its kind, according to the company. Think of it as mix between of NEC’s transparent HMD Tele Scouter and Sony’s cool 3D OLED head mounted display HMZ-T1, powered by Android OS.

The Moverio creates the experience of watching 3D (or 2D) pictures on a virtual 80-inch display that’s 5m away – while still being able to see what’s happening around you in the real world. Apart from the display itself, users get a small controller that offers 1GB of internal memory and a microSD card slot.

The Moverio supports MPEG-4/MPEG-4 AVC/H.264 video files, including – side-by-side 3D images on its 0.52-inch displays with 960×540 resolution (it handles AAC and MP3 audio files, too).

Epson also squeezed Android 2.2, Wi-Fi IEEE 802.11b/g/n (direct access to YouTube and a web browser), and a microUSB into the device.

The Moverio’s headset is sized at 205×178×47mm and weighs 240g, while the controller measures 67×107×19mm and weighs 160g.

Epson expects to initially sell 10,000 units when the device hits Japanese stores on November 25 (price: US$770).

Via AV Watch [JP]

Naked-eye 3D displays, even large-sized models, are nothing special anymore, but they usually have a common problem: the 3D effect when viewing pictures isn’t as strong as with displays that require users to wear glasses. Professor Kakeya from Tsukuba University in Japan is trying to solve the problem.

The way his 3D display works is actually pretty simple: it uses multiple layers and lenses to boost the sense of depth perception. Professor Kakeya explains:

It forms images of objects at the front toward the front, and objects at the back toward the back. When objects at the front are in focus, those at the back are blurred, and when you’re looking at objects at the back, those in front are blurred. So a feature of this display is that it reproduces focal depth.

The resolution in the current prototype stands at just 200×200, but another cool feature is that it allows you to view pictures in 3D not only when you move your head horizontally, but also when you move it vertically.

This video, shot by Diginfo TV, provides more insight:

Digital photo frames are a dime a dozen nowadays, and recently, 3D models have been popping up, too. Fujifilm today announced the FinePix REAL 3D V3, a so-called “digital viewer” that displays pictures in 3D and doesn’t require users to wear glasses.

The company says its new device is the first in the world to support 3D movie and picture playback and compatibility to other 3D devices via the HDMI interface (camcorders, consoles, 3D Blu-ray players, etc.).

Here are the key features of the FinePix REAL 3D V3:

• 7.2-inch naked-eye 3D LCD with 1,600×600 max. resolution (needless to say, 2D display is possible, too)
• LED backlight
• 720p HD movie support
• stereo speakers
• 512MB internal memory
• SD/SDHC card slot, mini USB port
• remote control

In Japan, Fujifilm is planning to sell the device from November 12 for US$640 (no word in the English press release about international sales plans).

Japan’s National Institute of Information and Communications (NICT) and JVC Kenwood have developed what they say is the world’s biggest 3D display. The device boasts a screen size of 200 inches, offers 57 different viewing angles, and best of all, it doesn’t require you to use glasses to view pictures in 3D.

The auto-stereoscopic display is based on 57 projectors in an array, produces 3D pictures in full HD and weighs 500kg. It was first announced by the NICT in January this year but appears to have been altered since (the earlier version used 64 projectors, for example):

This video, recently shot by Diginfo TV in Tokyo, provides more insight on the newest model (in English):

Truth be told, I wasn’t very impressed with what electronics makers showed at the CEATEC 2011 tech exhibition – especially because a lot of the new products were “leaked” to the Japanese press before the event started.

However, here are a total of five of the coolest innovations Japanese companies showed at the CEATEC 2011 in video form, delivered from our friends at Diginfo TV (YouTube channel). All the videos were shot directly on location and are in English.

Video 1: Toshiba’s 55-inch, naked-eye 3D TV with facial recognition (our coverage)

Video 2: Sony’s “DEV-3″ binoculars that shoot videos in full HD and 3D

Video 3: Pioneer’s augmentend reality-based car navigation System (our coverage)

Video 4: NTT Docomo’s smartphone jackets that measure body fat, radiation, or alcohol (our coverage)

Video 5: NTT Docomo’s smartphone battery that fully charges in 10 minutes

If you’ve ever dreamed of getting a super-realistic replica of your face for whatever reason, here’s your chance: a Japanese company called REAL-f [JP] is creating so-called 3DPFs (“3 Dimension Photo Forms”), copies of human faces “in 3D”. The startup offers two versions, a mask type replica and the so-called mannequin type, a replica of the head.

The way it works is that REAL-f first shoots pictures of a person’s face from various positions and imprints the image on vinyl chloride resin stretched over a mold. According to the company, it’s unique production technology makes sure that even details like the iris and blood vessels are replicated accurately (see the pictures to judge for yourself).

Buyers can get a 3D “face mask” for US$3,920 (additional copies cost just US$780 each). Each replica of one’s head costs US$5,875 (copies: US$1,960).

More pictures can be found on REAL-f’s Facebook page.

The CEATEC 2011 exhibition in Japan is just one day away, and Hitachi is already showing one of its coolest products: the company has been working on glasses-free 3D projection systems for years and is apparently making progress.

The newest version [JP] uses a set of 24 projectors, lenses, translucent half mirrors to superimpose 3D images on an object in the real-world. In the picture above, for example, the hatchling isn’t real, but the cradle is.

What’s cool is that several people can view the effect at the same time from various angles (see below), as Hitachi’s system has a horizontal view angle of 60° and a vertical view angle of 30°.

The company says that compared to the version shown last year, the system to be shown at CEATEC 2011 will boast depth resolution that’s 1.6 times higher.

Other companies, i.e. Sony are working on similar technologies, too.

If you thought Sharp’s 4K TV we’ve shown you last week is impressive, think again. Toshiba today unveiled a 55-inch LCD that boasts the same resolution (3,840×2,160 pixels, 4x full HD) but can also display pictures in 3D – no glasses required. The TV will be shown starting tomorrow during the CEATEC Japan 2011 exhibition near Tokyo.

Needless to say, the REGZA 55X3 [JP] is the first TV of its kind. Unfortunately, the resolution stands at “just” 1,280×720 in 3D mode.

The TV features 5,000:1 contrast ratio, LED backlight, a new processor called “REGZA Engine CEVO Duo”, a face-tracking function to enable high-quality 3D pictures for viewers, REGZA LINK, five digital tuners, 10W×2ch+10W speakers, four HDMI ports, and two USB ports.

Toshiba plans to start selling this beast in Japan in December (price: US$11,730).

Via AV Watch [JP]

Sony, which provides many theaters with the projectors and hardware needed to display 3D cinema, has informed those theaters that starting this spring, it will no longer provide 3D glasses for free. From now on they’ll have to foot the cost themselves — and by “they” I mean “we,” because obviously the theaters aren’t going to voluntarily pick up this extra expense.

Most theaters use a passive 3D system (often RealD), since expensive active-LCD glasses aren’t really an option to deploy in bulk. The polarized glasses (not pictured, obviously) are cheaper, but still cost ~50 cents per moviegoer. Multiply that by the millions of people who might see any given 3D blockbuster-type movie, and you’re looking at quite a sum. Sony’s been footing that part of the bill, but has decided they’ve had enough of that. Their letter to exhibitors puts May 1st as the last day they’ll be providing glasses.

Theater owners will be angered (no one likes an extra few million in red ink) but I’m guessing Sony wouldn’t do this if it didn’t feel the balance of power was on their side right now. You may or may not like 3D, but it’s a part of the business right now and big 3D movies are likely the highest-margin showings a theater will have all year. They can’t afford to be the one theater in town that doesn’t do 3D, so they’ll pay.

Studios like Disney and Fox have also chipped in for glasses, and never implied that the comping program would last forever. Still, it seems like the life support is being pulled a little early, and, as always, the cost will be passed on to the consumer.

While there’s a bit of a learning curve, 3Defy is a great demo of, at the very least, the latest in Flash programming. It’s basically a site that lets you add 3D effects to 2D photos that you upload or link. Using a fairly rudimentary set of brushes and tools, you set an object in a scene and try your darnedest to push, pull, and bend it until it looks realistic.

It’s a bit wonky right now and there’s a ridiculous sign-up process just to play around, but the resulting images are fairly striking and you can embed them in web pages or link them out to friends and neighbors. I made this one. It’s horrible.

The site isn’t very feature-rich but it’s an interesting exploration of what you can do with a Flash interface and, more important, what HTML 5 apps will be up against. The founders built the app as a demo in order to build potential business and they’re actively accepting application updates in their forums and are considering a full open source release of their code. If you’ll recall, YouTube was supposed to be a test of Flash’s video capabilities and this is clearly a test of its on-the-fly image editing facilities.

The founder, Chris Wallace, writes that it’s mostly about the technology.

“I’m sure you’re aware that Flash Player 11 will be launched very soon. Flash 11 provides GPU-accelerated 3D graphics rendering capabilities, making it possible to deliver sophisticated 3D experiences directly in the browser. We believe that these capabilities have the potential to transform the web, and we took full advantage of them in 3Defy. Our software works fine with the current Flash Player versions, but it really accelerates under Flash 11,” he said.

Obviously this site offers limited utility but if you’re into exploring 3D vision it may be a good trinket to play around with while your ray traces render.

Here’s a 3D screen of a different kind: a research team at Japan’s Keio University has developed a display that allows users to “touch” virtual 3D characters. The way the so-called RePro3D works is that it combines a naked-eye, full-parallax 3D display with a tactile interface that lets users manipulate virtual objects in a 3D environment with their fingers.

The makers explain:

RePro3D is a full-parallax 3D display system suitable for interactive 3D applications. The approach is based on a retro-reflective projection technology in which several images from a projector array are displayed on a retro-reflective screen. When viewers look at the screen through a half mirror, they see a 3D image superimposed on the real scene without glasses.

The whole system looks a bit hacky at this point, but the plan is to further improve RePro3D and use it for interactive 3D applications (i.e. games) in the future.

Here’s a video that provides more insight (shot by DigInfo TV in Tokyo, in English):

Do you remember the 3D HD display specifically designed for gaming that Sony Computer Entertainment unveiled back in June at E3? It took them a while, but now big S in Japan announced [JP] the final release date for the device in its home market: November 2. For the equivalent of US$582, buyers will get the 24-inch monitor itself, an HDMI cable, and a set of 3D glasses.

A game isn’t included in the Japanese package – a separate set of (active shutter) 3D glasses will cost $78,. PSP games are displayed in full screen, while a system called SimulView allows 2 users to play 3D games on one display but to see full-screen images each.

The display produces images in 1,920×1,080 resolution, comes with LED backlight, offers 5,000:1 contrast ratio, 3W×2ch+5W speakers and two HDMI interfaces.

We’ll let you know when Sony announces the 3D display for markets outside Japan.

Epson has been working on HTPS (high-temperature polysilicon)-based TFT panels for years now, and yesterday the company announced the launch of the world’s first such panel for 3D 3LCD projectors. There will be two models, one measuring 0.74 inches (pictured) and another one with 0.61 inches, both will full HD resolution.

According to Epson, the new devices use a technology called “Bright 3D Drive” that helped to boost the image refresh rate from 240Hz to 480Hz. As a result, 3D pictures produced by the new panels are said to be 1.5 times brighter than those created by 240Hz models.

Epson has already started mass-producing their HTPS 3D panels and will offer them to other projector makers, too.

Sharp Japan announced [JP] the Aquos Quattron 3D LC-70X5 for the local market yesterday, a follow-up of sorts to the LC-70LE735U that’s been available in the States for a few months now. Just like that model, the LCD measures 70 inches, can produce 3D pictures and offers Sharp’s “Quattron Quad Pixel Technology” for better display of colors.

The main selling point of this new model is the full array LED back-light that Sharp markets as “Mega Brightness Technology”. According to the company, the backlighting in the LC-70X5 is twice as strong as in the previous model, obviously resulting in brighter pictures (see below for an example).

The TV features full HD resolution, THX 3D, 15,000,000:1, dynamic contrast ratio, two USB ports, four HDMI ports, Ethernet, web connectivity (VOD), wireless to connectivity to other Aquos devices like smartphones and Blu-ray recorders, recording on external HDDs, and 176-degree viewing angle.

Sharp plans to start selling the device in Japan on September 25 (price: US$10,400).

This TV is a beast. It’s called the ZL2, and to be honest it’s the only TV I actually have gadget envy for right now. The rest of the 3D TVs out there rely on end-of-life active shutter glasses or immature polarized 3D, but this monster is going straight to the lenticular lenslets. This technique involves a layer of tiny lenses that direct the light in the direction of the viewer, with a slightly offset to send a different image to each eye. No glasses required.

Oh, and did I mention that this TV has a resolution of 3,840 x 2,160? That’s “quad-HD,” twice the height and width of 1080p and four times the pixels.

The ZL2 can provide 3D for up to nine positions, adjusting its lenslets to send information in the right direction (it tracks faces with a built-in camera). There’s no saying how well it’ll actually work, but Toshiba seems pretty confident about it.

And as long as it’s tracking your face, it will adjust the TV to your personal preferences once it recognizes you. Favorite channels, shows, that kind of thing. And there’s an iPhone app! And it’ll record to and play from USB drives!

Honestly, I rarely get excited, or even slightly interested, in TVs. I don’t own a TV, I don’t particularly want one. But this one sounds just plain amazing. The only thing I’m worried about is the price. I don’t see this thing hitting for less than five grand. I guess we’ll find out what the damage is when December rolls around.

Update: Yes indeed, the price is enormous. €7999, or around $11,500.

Earlier this year, during CES 2011, Sony showcased a prototype of a wearable 3D display that looked much like those virtual reality helmets we’ve been seeing since the 1990s. And today, the company announced that it’s actually ready to start selling the OLED device, dubbed “Personal 3D Viewer”/ HMZ-T1, on November 11 -  in Japan.

The head-mounted display is the first of its kind, according to Sony. It creates the experience of watching 3D (or 2D) pictures on a “movie theater-like virtual screen” that’s equivalent to a 750-inch display, if big S is to be believed.

Here are the main specs:

• two 0.7-inch OLED panels with HD resolution (1,280×720)
• 45-degree horizontal viewing angle / “virtual viewing” distance of 20m for the aforementioned 750-inch virtual screen
• 5.1 surround sound coming from speakers integrated into the HMD (Sony’s Virtualphones)
• processor unit with two HDMI interfaces (input and output) for connecting TVs, consoles or Blu-ray players
• size: 180×168×36mm, weight: 420g

In their press release, Sony isn’t mentioning plans for sales outside Japan, but over here, the HMZ-T1 is expected to carry a $780 price tag.