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.

Full HD resolution (1,920×1,080 pixels) isn’t enough for Sharp. The company has developed [JP] a TV that’s capable of producing images with 3,840×2,160 resolution and is ready to show the device to the public during the CEATEC 2011 exhibition that takes place next week near Tokyo.

The 60-inch 4K TV has been developed in cooperation with the I³ (I-cubed) Research Center in Kawasaki. I am assuming Sharp will share more detailed specs when they bring the prototype to CEATEC (so far, only the size and resolution have been revealed).

It’s not as impressive as that 85-inch TV with Super Hi-Vision resolution (7,680×4,320 pixels) Sharp showed in May this year, but in contrast to that model, the 4K TV has a (vague) sales date: sometime in 2012 and in Japan first, according to the company.

Via AV Watch [JP]

Update:
Here’s a video showing the TV in more detailed, shot by Diginfo TV in Tokyo (in English):

Add to that a native contrast ratio of 10,000:1 and a 330W lamp that produces 5,000 lumens and you have a pretty powerful projector to play with. JVC says its D-ILA (Digital Direct Drive Image Light Amplifier) technology makes it possible to display two or four screens in WUXGA (1,920 x 1,200) and full HD resolution at the same time.

Buyers get a USB port, four DVI-D interfaces and LAN, but the projection lens isn’t included in the final price (which, in Japan, will be around $15,000).

JVC plans to start selling the DLA-SH7NL in Japan at the beginning of next month, mainly targeting places like museums or medical institutions. The company hasn’t said yet whether the device will ever be available outside Japan as well.

In June, Epson said it has begun mass-production of the world’s first HTPS-TFT panel boasting WUXGA resolution (1,920 x 1,200 pixels). And today, five months later, the same company announced [press release in English] what it claims is the world’s first 4K-compatible HTPS (high-temperature polysilicon) TFT LCD panel for 3LCD projectors.

The new panel is sized at 1.64 inches diagonally and boasts a resolution of 4,096×2,160, which is nothing less than four times the resolution of a full HD screen. The simple diagram below visualizes the difference between 4K and full HD resolutions.

What this means is that we get high-performance panels for 3LCD projectors, which use chips in every projector. Every one of these three chips produces images (here is a demo movie), that are said to be very bright and richer in color.

The general public will get a chance to view Epson’s new projector at the Inter BEE exhibition that starts next week in Tokyo.

Technical difficulties aside (like a blowing the right speaker), this 3D thing is a bust. Doug and I sat there while all these grey haired men were blown away thinking that we may have missed something. Was simple movement like even the swaying of the arms suppose to blur? Was it suppose to give you a headache with the terrible picture? Are people really going to attend more than one of these events?

Sadly, the picture quality was a step down from high-def. The praised 3D picture was sort-of 3D; I guess. The broadcast had their own cameras and crew at the game so they optimized the shots to showcase 3D effects but even shots of the teams running out of their tunnel were not that impressive. The in-game stats windows that show the score and info did come across nicely in 3D as it seemed to hover in the corner in true 3D fashion.

The over all experience was like watching football on a large LCD TV six years ago. The still shots looked good but any movement suffered from terrible lag. Even when the players on the side lines walked about, their arms and legs blurred. Worst of all though was you couldn’t see the football clearly when it was thrown. The picture and viewing experience was a big step down from a high-quality HD picture. 

Our taste of 3D sports last night left us with a sinking feeling that this gigantic venture needs a lot more polish. I would have rather watched the game at the same venue via a 4k projector. Said system should be able to provide enough depth to give a similar, if not superior, 3D experience while maintaining all the quality we have came to expect from premier sporting events. Who knows, maybe Doug’s contacts and my glasses caused the picture to look so crappy but there is no way I would pay money to watch another 3D sporting event. Sorry, Cuban.[PSGallery=1n209q3mhs]

In case you are in the market for a projector that cost more than the average, oh, Porsche, Sony has two new 4K SXRD projectors. The SRX-T110 and SRX-T105 both retain the previous generation’s 4096 x 2160 native resolution, but get a bump in lumens. The big boy T110 now spouts out 11,000 Lumens, with a contrast ratio of 2,500:1, with the T105 now at 5,500 Lumens and 2,500:1 contrast ratio. These high Lumens projos generally are geared towards large, outdoor venues, or trust fund babies media rooms. Price? Oh, you don’t wanna know.

The T110 will go for $113k, with the T110 retailing for the so much more affordable price of $71k when they drop in November ’08.

We’ve discussed the Red One camera and its counterparts before, and the 4K ultra-hi-def cinema they represent, but now Japan’s getting in on the action. NHK’s Science and Technical Research Laboratories has come up with a 7,680×4,320 pixel sensor that it plans to use for future digital cinema shooting. The 16:9 cameras would have enough resolution for movie theaters or super sharp TV screens.

It’ll still be a few years before the technology is commonplace, in fact most people thing 1080p is hi-def enough for home use (it is), so this is mostly for cinematic use. What’s important though is that it’s all digital, meaning faster editing of movies and an easier transfer to the small hi-def screens of tomorrow.

Sony, lovers of this next-gen technology, has just dropped a new projector for the 4k crowd, using its new SXRD (Silicon X-tal Reflective Display, or Voodoo to us), giving it a resolution of 4,096 x 2,160, which comes out to 8.8 megapixels. “True” 4k resolution is generally accepted to be anything 10 megapixels or higher, but this is still good enough that most people wouldn’t notice.

This isn’t for your average home theater set up, this is for true digital cinema arenas and you can expect the price tag to match. While this is an impressive-as-hell resolution, it’s still not enough to display the full resolution of the RedOne, but that may change shortly.

The new Sony SXRD video projector [Akihabara News]

Yes, the same Sharp known for that anemic “organizer” that your grandmother got you for Xmas in 1999 when you asked for a Palm Pilot. Sharp recently showed the world its new 64-inch ASV “Super HDTV.” The 4:2 aspect ratio is a bit odd by today’s standards, but so was 16:9 a couple years ago. But look at the numbers: that’s 8.84 megapixels. That’s probably more than your digicam, hotshot.

Do not look for this ultra-high rez screen anytime soon, as it’s a prototype to prove a concept. But the fact that Sharp (SHARP!?) is in on the 4k game means that there probably is a future for 4k and it might be here more sooner than later. You’ll be able to watch footage shot with the mystical Red One camera natively in your living room, and your kids will think it was always like that. We hate your brats.

Sharp Presents Industry’s First ’4K x 2K’ Direct Viewing LCD Panel [Tech On]