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Engadget: Other than amassing support from seemingly every CE device on the market, DivX’s next step? Online content aggregation.

Announced as a partner with LG during yesterday’s press conference, the company feels it is in a position to give a more TV-like experience to internet video by extending its platform to interested content providers.

The software will allow users to stream not only from the cloud, but also compatible video from their own PCs. Its pitch to OEMs claims IP streaming capability on any hardware, and with it demonstrated ability to cut a deal, expect to see DivX TV on a set-top near you very, very soon.

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Engadget: While 3D is all the rage at CES this year, we learned today from the BDA that one of the biggest sources of 3D content isn’t what it could be.

The first thing that could, should, be better is the limited support for frame rates. Movies have been recorded at 24 frames per second for longer than our parents have been alive, and for about the same amount of time we’ve had to endure frame rate interpolation to make movies play back on our 30Hz TVs — you know, like 3:2 pull-down.

That changed recently with 120hz LCDs and 72Hz plasmas because those numbers share a common denominator with 24 (so the same frame is just shown three or four times).

When choosing an 3D HDTV it is important to understand how the TV displays 24 fps 3D content, don’t just asume it does it without 3:2 pull down. But honestly the worst part is that some 3D cameras can capture 3D at higher frame rates and even if the director wanted to, the new 3D Blu-ray spec doesn’t support it.

The other issue we take with the new spec is that contrary to early reports, it is possible to create a 3D Blu-ray Disc that won’t play on 2D only players. This next one isn’t a big deal, but still disappointing is that even if the creator goes through the trouble to encode the movie in both formats, depending on the HDTV, you may have no choice but to watch it in 3D — say if you lost your glasses or whatever.

Now don’t get us wrong we’re pretty excited about the new 3D technology, but the way we see it is that anything worth doing, is worth doing right the first time.

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EngadgetHD: While most HDTV manufactures are focused on being thin and 3D, Panasonic still recognizes the importance of having great contrast and deep blacks.

Hidden away in the Panasonic booth we pulled back the curtain on a contrast demo and walked away impressed.

Now obviously black levels are very hard to compare without being either being very familiar with the content or by having the two TVs next to each other, but one thing is for sure, the 2010 Panasonic plasmas have better black levels than the previous models.

We snapped a few pictures where you can see the difference, and judging by how close the V10 series was to the ultra deep blacks of the Kuro, we wouldn’t be one bit surprised if the new Panny sets make us forget about the discontinued Kuro line once and for all — it might just be wishful thinking.

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CNet: Here at CES 2010, Samsung has announced it will be creating its own app store, but unlike its rivals, who offer applications on mobile phones, the Korean giant intends to supply apps that work across phones, computers, Blu-ray players, home-cinema systems and even TVs.

The Samsung Apps feature — essentially an evolution of the company’s Internet@TV concept — will ship on the vast majority of Samsung tellies with screens 40 inches and above, starting with the 55-inch LED 9000 series.

With these, users will be able to search and download applications even while watching TV. Some apps wil be bundled with the sets, some will become available for download over the sets’ integrated Wi-Fi free of charge from this spring, while paid-for apps will start to arrive in the summer.

Currently, Samsung says the style of applications will be pretty diverse. Some will provide basic information like up-to-date weather, sports fixtures and results, picture viewing through the likes of Picasa, plus services such as BBC iPlayer and Twitter.

Several apps will allow interaction betwen your Samsung mobile phone and your Samsung TV. In one example, the company said consumers would be able to play virtual poker using the television as the table, and their handsets to view cards and control the game.

Crucially, Samsung is making its app store an open platform, which should encourage third-party developers to create a decent number of apps and help ensure the system doesn’t become a relic any time soon. Keep your eyes on CNET UK over the coming weeks when we’ll bring you a more in-depth look at the best of these apps and the TVs they’ll feature on.

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CNet: 3D television is the future. We know it’s the future because at every CES we’ve ever been to, manufacturers bang on about it like it’s the cure for cancer. This year Panasonic has turned the hyperbole into reality with its first 3D high definition Viera television, 3D Blu-ray player and 3D video camera, as well as offering the first 3D television channels.

It’s also gone and made an enormous 152-inch 3D telly. Blimey. The 152-inch plasma panel, rather prosaically named the Full HD 3D PDP, gives eye-watering 4Kx2K resolution. It won’t be in shops anytime soon, but that’s OK with us because it wouldn’t fit in our house.

The Viera Plasma V series 3D telly will be on sale this year. It offers a 1080p picture for each eye, flicking between the two high definition images 120 times per second, so fast that our brains build a three-dimensional image.

It comes in 50-inch, 54-inch, 58-inch and 65-inch flavors, and includes Infinite Black Panel Pro technology for deeper blacks, with a whopping 5,000,000:1 contrast ratio. Each 3D Viera comes with funky-looking Eyewear glasses. But what will you watch? Get yourself a PP-BDT350 Blu-ray player with HDMI 1.4 and Wi-Fi. and you’ll be watching films like Avatar in three dimensions.

The press conference even wheeled out Avatar producer Jon Landau, who compared uptake of 3D to our embracing of stereo sound, and even predicted 3D on mobile devices, the big nutter.

Panasonic has also partnered with DirecTV and will launch two 3D, HD channels and a third, on-demand 3D HD channel. A firmware upgrade to existing DirecTV settop boxes will allow consumers to plug in their new 3D tellies and start watching. US consumers, that is, as these things won’t be in Europe any time soon.

You’ll even be able to make your own 3D movies with the Full HD 3D camcorder. It boasts lenses in one unit and records to SD or SDC card. It’s smaller than professional camera units, and frankly we can’t wait until autumn when it’ll go on sale. We suspect some saving up may be required, however, as it’s made to order and will cost about $21,000 (€14,615).

Panasonic also announced the Plasma G series television and DMP-BD85 Blu-ray player in boring old two-dimensions. The 3D V series and 2D Plasma G series boast Wi-Fi and Panasonic’s IPTV system, Viera Cast. Panny has partnered up with VoIP giants Skype to offer Skype video calling on all Viera televisions, including the 3D V series. Forget 3D, making free video calls on your telly, that’s the future.

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DisplaySearch Blog: In December, I wrote about the most important challenges for the FPD industry in 2009. Now we are in 2010, the year of Tiger, which represents a vigorous spirit and a ferocious mind-either positive or negative.

If the energy of the Tiger fuels FPD market growth, then the whole supply chain will have a prosperous year. The downside risk is that panel or set prices fall in a ferocious way.

What are the top questions to be answered in the year of the Tiger?

1. Panel prices are set to increase in January 2010, and it is likely that they will rise through Q1′10 due to the strong demand to build inventories. How long can prices stay strong?
2. When will we see new fabs and capacities? Encouraged by strong demand, panel makers are starting to pull in their new fab schedules and capacity additions.
3. Will there be more consolidation and alliances? If so, who will swallow whom?
4. Most TV brands are targeting 30-50% LED backlight penetration in their 2010 business plan; will they be able to achieve that? How fast will LED backlight LCD TVs grow?
5. E-book readers are a promising new application category, attracting new entrants and stimulating technology evolution. However, there are still doubts about consumer acceptance of these devices. Will e-book readers become an accepted consumer electronics device? Or it will be just a fad? Is color required for broad acceptance?
6. 3D can provide inspiring and thrilling experience, but there are uncertainties about the availability of content, the technological readiness, and acceptance in the living room. Can we move away from the requirement for glasses?
7. Except for Panasonic and Chinese makers, plasma panel makers have stopped investing in new capacity. Even Panasonic is shifting resources into LCD. What can change PDP’s destiny in 2010? Can plasma survive in the TV market? Or can it find a new niche?
8. Among the many potential projects for Gen 7/8 fabs in China, which ones will eventually come true? How will they influence the 2011 supply/demand balance?
9. Panel costs fell sharply in 2009 due to depreciation and changes in components. Will this reduction continue in 2010? How profitable will companies in the LCD supply chain be?
10. Will the small/medium FPD panel price collapse due to the newly ramped Chinese Gen 4 fabs and the Korean/Taiwanese Gen 5 fabs shifting to the to the smaller-than-10″ production?

Certainly, there are many questions to be answered, such as the mini-note outlook, touch panel development, LCD monitor market maturity, Windows 7 influence, high transmittance technologies, glass substrate capacity constraints, TV specifications and roadmaps, mobile phones, pico projectors, 21:9 aspect ratio, and so on.

You certainly have your own list of questions for 2010: let us know what they are! At DisplaySearch, the most exciting part of our job is to help you explore the answers of all of these questions. Stay tuned, within this year, DisplaySearch will give you definite answers and in-depth analysis.

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BBC: If 2009 was dominated by touch technology then 2010 looks set to be the year of 3D.

3D has been one of the biggest hits of the cinemas this year and it is likely to continue its stride into other mediums during 2010, experts agree.

TV manufacturer LG wants to sell nearly half a million 3D-ready TV sets next year as the World Cup kicks off in the format.

Meanwhile laptops and games consoles are also getting a 3D makeover.

Acer has already released what it is claiming is the world’s first 3D-capable laptop, and most agree it will be the first of many.

One critic likened the screen of the Acer Inspire 5738DZG to that of a 1960′s cinema “but in laptop form”.

Others have dismissed the 3D capability as a gimmick, but most agree that it will be the start of a glut of similar machines.

Acer has created its 3D effect by putting a polarising filter over the screen which splits images into separate streams. When combined with a pair of polarising glasses (and the laptop comes with a free pair) it allows users to view content in 3D.

Some movie trailers come preloaded on the laptop, while software called TriDef 3D can add a third dimension to PC games, DVDs and video footage with varying degrees of success.

Microsoft is watching developments in the field with interest. Julie Larson-Green, Microsoft’s vice president of user experience believes the technology will play a major role over the next decade.

“A 3D spatial camera inside a computer will offer a new way to interact with content. It will allow people to spatially organise things with older things farther away,” she said.

Read the full article.

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Electronista: HDMI Licensing, the group behind the media interface specification, has announced plans to support 3D content with the upcoming HDMI spec v1.4.

The consortium will meet in January to add the “Top/Bottom” 3D format.

The group acknowledges the lack of a mandatory 3D broadcast format, leaving the standard open for further additions or modifications. HDMI 1.4 establishes protocols for several 3D display technologies including frame, line, or field alternative methods; side by side display, and 2D plus depth methods.

The new specification also features data as an essential feature, with a dedicated pipe for 100Mbps Ethernet connections. An Audio Return Channel is designed to send compressed sound through intermediary devices, while a proposed micro HDMI connector will support 1080p video for small devices.

HDMI 1.4-equipped devices are expected to be launched early in January at the 2010 Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas.

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BBC: The BBC Trust, the corporation’s governing body, has given a provisional go-ahead for a project which could kick-start demand for internet TV.

Project Canvas is a partnership between the BBC, ITV, BT, Five, Channel 4 and TalkTalk to develop a so-called Internet Protocol Television standard.

It would see a range of set-top boxes available to access on-demand TV services such as iPlayer and ITVplayer.

Set-top boxes, expected to cost around £200, could be available next year.

The Trust reached its provisional conclusions following more than 800 written responses. It is proposing some conditions on the BBC’s participation in the venture and will have a further period of consultation, lasting until February.

The Trust ruled that Canvas would have a series of positive impacts, including furthering the growth of on-demand TV and increasing the opportunities for internet service providers to develop so called triple play – phone/TV/broadband – services.

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Electronista: We’re gearing up for CES 2010, which means the race to show off an even thinner “worlds thinnest” LCD TV panel is heating up — and it looks like LG’s taking an early lead by announcing a new 42-inch 1080p panel that’s just 2.6mm (.1 inch) thin.

The prototype LED-backlit 120Hz display weighs just under 8.8 pounds , but we don’t have any other specs on it just yet — but we’re sure we’ll find out far more 17 days from now in Vegas.

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BBC: The Teletext information service on analogue and digital television will close across the UK on 16 December.

Limited services including holidays, racing and bookmaking and the subtitles on analogue channels will remain available.

Teletext’s chat and dating TV channels on Freeview will also be unaffected.

Speaking to the BBC in Jersey, Karen Rankin, the Managing Director of Broadcast at Channel TV said the closure was a commercial decision. “The decision was taken by Teletext UK who run the licence for the whole of the UK to withdraw the service at the end of this year,” said Karen.

She went on to explain that the advertising funded service was no longer commercially viable. “Because it is a service that is funded entirely by a commercial advertising revenue, what’s been happening of course is that as people have migrated more and more to using the internet, it is no longer a viable business model.

“Channel Television has provided for a very long time local pages into that national service but we are not the licence holders ourselves. “We are only contracted to provide the local service so that will go at the same time,” said Karen.

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Electronista: The WHDI wireless HD video standard that uses 5GHz, Wi-Fi-based technology has been finalized recently.

The technology was found by chip designer Amimon and is one of at least four technologies aimed to bring wireless HD video distribution in the home. The technology will allow sending 1080p HD video at 60Hz refresh rates and 12-bit color depth up to 100 feet away and through multiple walls.

Maximum data rates are said to be fixed at 3Gbps using a 40MHz channel. Initially, Amimon promised only support for 720p video, but the technology has evolved and it now also supports the full High-Bandwidth Digital Content Protection (HDCP) version 2.0.

There is also a version of the Consumer Electronics Control protocol from HDMI included, which would allow users to send video to multiple rooms. The Amimon chips comprise of individual two-chip receivers and transmitters that use a 90nm CMOS baseband and a silicon germanium radio, while consuming up to 3W of power.

Members of the consortium can have access to the technology for a fee of $2,000 per year if they sign up in 2009. The WHDI Consortium hopes to create an interoperability test suite and certification lab in the autumn of 2010, with the first products using the standard available at around the same time. Competitors include the WirelessHD standard and the Wireless Gigabit Alliance, though the former doesn’t have HDCP 2.0 support.

Several TV makers have already committed to the WHDI standard, including Sharp and Sony, but LG, Hitachi, Motorola and Samsung are also part of the consortium.

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