Panasonic teams up with NHK on 145-inch 8K Super Hi-Vision plasma TV Apr 27th 2012, 12:11 We thought the 8K 85-inch Super Hi-Vision LCD we saw during CES was impressive, but Japanese broadcaster NHK is already looking to surpass that by going even bigger. To that end it worked with Panasonic (above: that's Panasonic's Keishi Kubota on the left, Yoshio Ito of NHK on the right) to create this 145-inch prototype plasma, unveiled today as an example of the kind of displays we can expect to see once broadcasts jump to the higher resolution some day. The world's first self-illuminating Super Hi-Vision TV, it features every pixel of its expected 8K resolution -- 7,680 x 4,320. After working for months on smaller (only 85- or 103-inch) 4K plasmas, the two companies had to come up with an entirely new drive method for the display that works by scanning the pixels vertically to achieve a uniform picture quality. The NHK plans to show off the new display at its open house in May, although we're a bit more interested to see if we can watch the Olympics on it this summer. Check the gallery below for a few more pictures from DigInfo.TV's Ryo Osuga, or hit the more coverage link for a breakdown of the difficulties encountered in building a high resolution display that's this massive. [Image Credit: Ryo Osuga, DigInfo.TV] Panasonic teams up with NHK on 145-inch 8K Super Hi-Vision plasma TV originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 27 Apr 2012 08:11:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | Panasonic Japan | Email this | Comments | Verizon ICS update schedule leaks: Rezound, RAZR and Xoom being tested now Apr 27th 2012, 11:41 While there are already vague Android update plans for Verizon-connected Samsung devices, a leaked screen from somewhere within the Big Red bunker has offered up some more details. It looks like the Rezound, Droid RAZR and RAZR Maxx are closest to the upgrade finish-line with testing likely to finish by May 7th for the HTC model and May 17th for the Motorola duo. According to Droid Life, Verizon's Motorola Xoom (you know, the Android tablet) is getting its update direct from Google, but it hasn't been deigned worthy of a concrete release date. A handful of software updates are also pegged for the likes of the Bionic, Thunderbolt, Revolution, Galaxy Tab 10.1 and Xperia Play, but they look likely to be more incremental than outright OS upgrades. For those interested in some new firmware numbers, we've included those update details after the break. Continue reading Verizon ICS update schedule leaks: Rezound, RAZR and Xoom being tested now Verizon ICS update schedule leaks: Rezound, RAZR and Xoom being tested now originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 27 Apr 2012 07:41:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | Droid Life | Email this | Comments | Sprint Direct Connect brandishes passport, brings push-to-talk to distant shores Apr 26th 2012, 23:23 Although Sprint is winding down iDEN services here in the US, it hasn't turned its back on the technology completely. The nation's third largest wireless carrier has announced a new push-to-talk service offering, dubbed International Direct Connect. The $10 monthly add-on will allow Direct Connect push-to-talk users in the US -- utilizing its CDMA network -- to communicate with iDEN PTT users in Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Mexico and Peru free of charge. Although not explicitly stated, the aforementioned nations are referred to as "initial" markets, implying that more countries will be added to this list at some point in the future. All the details about the business-focused proposition, along with the press sheet, can be found after the break. Continue reading Sprint Direct Connect brandishes passport, brings push-to-talk to distant shores Sprint Direct Connect brandishes passport, brings push-to-talk to distant shores originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 26 Apr 2012 19:23:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | | Email this | Comments | |