CES 2017

[Paul2]

HDMI Forum Announces Version 2.1 Spec


The HDMI Forum is made up of 83 global member companies whose mission is to “support and develop future versions of HDMI spec, support the eco-system of interoperable HDMI-enabled devices, foster broader industry participation in the development of future versions of the HDMI specification,” and they announced the specifications of the upcoming version 2.1 today at CES.

HDMI has become the de facto connection standard for A/V gear and the organization stated that six billion HDMI enabled devices have shipped since 2003, with 750 million devices expected to have shipped in 2016 alone. The 2.1 specification is forward looking, with massively increased bandwidth to handle next-generation display technology, and looking to become an end-to-end 4K and 8K solution.

The 2.1 spec includes five major upgrades including support for higher resolutions and faster refresh rates, 48Gbps bandwidth cable, Dynamic HDR, eARC, and Game Mode VRR.

The new spec will support up to 10K video as well as refresh rates up to 120 frames per second for images that are razor sharp and clear especially when watching sports, action movies, or high-performance gaming. The 4K120 ultra-fast motion especially sports and action motions. It will also support the latest color spaces including BT.2020 with support for 12, 14 and 16-bit color.

It will also support multiple static and dynamic HDR solutions for the ultimate in picture reproduction. Dynamic HDR enables a noticeable progression in overall image quality, with embedded metadata that can be optimized and specific to each individual scene or even on a frame by frame basis.

These extra gobs of data will require a larger pipe to transfer al of the information, and the 2.1 spec includes a new 48Gbps cable, significantly increased over the current 18Gbps limit of HDMI 2.0a. This will also have exceptionally low EMI, and be more reliable. The new cabling will include Ethernet capabilities and be fully backwards compatible with existing systems.

The enhanced Audio Return Channel (eARC) will support advanced audio formats, such as object-based audio formats like Dolby Atmos and DTS:X, and enable audio signal control, allowing users a simple setup connection to HDMI enabled soundbars.

Finally gamers will appreciate the new Game Mode VRR (variable refresh rate) which will deliver more fluid graphics and better details. It is also said to reduce game lag, frame stutter, and frame tearing by enabling a 3D graphics processor to display the image at the moment it is rendered without being constrained to a fixed output or frame rate.

The specification is being released to forum member in Q1 with no information yet on when we will actually see the first 2.1 equipped products.

http://www.soundandvision.com/content/hdmi-forum-announces-version-21-spec#cRROPWJHJCiOsQKq.97

is that time of the year again where new technologies and electronic products are announce at CES.

awesome news that hdmi forums announced latest hdmi 2.1 connections and cables.  if i remember correctly, back in september 2013 is when they first release hdmi 2.0 connection products.  hdmi 2.0 maximum transfer speed is 18 Gbps, while this latest, newest, and just announced hdmi 2.1 has a maximum transfer speed of 48 Gbps.  That is nearly 3 times faster than hdmi 2.0.  amazing.

sometimes last year, i assumed they probably going to announce and release newer hdmi connection that is faster than hdmi 2.0.  i thought they are going to announce it by september of 2016 but september of 2016 came and went and there is still no news of newer version of hdmi 2.0.  last year, i was hoping they are going to announce a newer hdmi version such as 2.1 or possibly hdmi 2.2 with an increase in speed and i thought the speed increase won't be that big.  seeing that hdmi 2.0 has an 80% increase in speed over older hdmi versions such as hdmi 1.4 and 1.3.  i thought the latest hdmi speed (which is hdmi 2.1 now) won't be that big.  i thought it might be either 24 Gbps to 28 Gbps max but boy was i wrong and the latest hdmi 2.1 maximum speed is a whopping 48 Gbps.  Far exceeds my expectation.

So they claim it can support up to 10k resolution, or use a lower resolution such as 4k and it can supports up to 120 fps for 4k or 4k120p.  Not only that, but possibly in 12 bit color per channel at full 4:4:4 Y:Cb:Cr sampling for 4k120p.  sounds very cool and futuristic to me.   imagine 4k tvs with hdmi 2.1 connections and these 4k tvs support native 120 Hz sources.  ultra smooth motion.  drools.

oh yeah, don't forget hdr like dolby vision in 4k120p and wider color gamut like dci-p3 or even better rec/bt.2020 color space.  me drools.

[Titan]

10K huh? Lets let 4K take off before coming out with a connection for 10K Whenever they release a new version of HDMI, what it can do is waaaay overkill for what is currently available. What I do like when they do announce and release a new HDMI version is it gives you a glimpse of what is to come in display technology in the future. They're obviously developing it for something

[Paul2]

yeah, but in 10k resolution, assuming its a 10,080 x 4320 resolution (21:9 ultra widescreen), either the frame rate or the color bit depth and or color sampling is compromise.

Which means you get 10k but limited to 30 fps instead of 60 fps or 120 fps.  in 10k @ 30fps (aka 10k30), you probably do get full color sampling of 4:4:4 but limited to 8 bit per a channel of color depth.

or you can get 10k @ 60 fps (aka 10k60), but the color sampling will be limited to 4:2:0 at 8 bit per channel instead of the full 4:4:4 8 bit sampling.

i believe that is the limit the 48 Gbps can offer which is still awesomely great though.

in comparison, in 4k, the 48 Gbps speed can support up to 120 fps or 4k120 in 12 bit color depth in full 4:4:4 color sampling.  so which means by using lower resolution of 4k instead of 8k or 10k, you get ultra smooth motion, higher bit depth, and full color sampling.

oh yeah, don't forget that in 10k or in 8k resolution, since it will be limited to 8 bit color depth, it won't support hdr (high dynamic range), so you will only be able to watch 10k in sdr (standard dynamic range) instead.  you need at least 10 bit color depth in order for it to support hdr.  that is the limit of the 48 gbps.  still awesome but still infancy for 8k or 10k though but incredible for 4k displays and sources.

edited:  i just did the math for 8k, i think its possible that 8k60 can support 12 bit color depth but at 4:2:0 Y:Cb:Cr sampling.  so that means, it possible for 8k to support hdr.  but 10k, especially 10k60 is out of the question i think.

the hdmi 2.1 is much more awesome than the hdmi 2.0.  the hdmi 2.1 max speed is 48 gbps while the hdmi 2.0 is 18 gpbs.  the current hdmi 2.0 only supports up to 4k60 @ 12 bit 4:2:2 sampling or so i was told.  60fps is very smooth but 120 fps is ultra smooth.  i think in the nearby future like in a year or two from now, newer 4k display with hdmi 2.1 connections will support and display native 120fps/hz sources.

[Paul2]

LG Announces 5 New OLED TV Series, New Super Thin Models



By the luck of the draw the first press event of CES 2017 in the consumer audio/video field was held by LG, first thing on Wednesday morning. And if any manufacturer deserves a gold star for the depth and breadth of its product line, it’s LG.

The company announced a huge range of new products, including home and business robots. The home versions include a help unit that connects to your home network in the mode of Amazon’s Alexa and robot vacuums. The business versions top out with an airport bot to help travelers find their way. There were also the usual appliances, including a refrigerator that caters to your every foodie whim. Oddly, new cell phones and tablets, once featured items at every CES, are now so ubiquitous that they weren’t even mentioned.

But it’s video news that helps us endure these circus-like press events, and LG saved the best for last. There are five new ranges of OLEDs in a range of sizes: the G7, E7, C7, B7 (from the priciest to the more affordable), and the new W7 LG Signature range, available in 65- and 77-inch sizes. Internally LG is said to refer to the latter as just W or wallpaper, a reflection of its impossibly slim design. While we’re not yet at the state of an OLED display as thin as actual wallpaper, the W7s come close. In the 65-inch size it’s roughly 2.5 cm thick (about a tenth of an inch) and weighs 16 (!) pounds (the 77-incher is 28 pounds). When mounted on the wall (and that’s your only option, there is no stand provide or available) it clears the wall by a mere 4mm. The set is mounted via a unique. You first mount a thin magnetic sheet in the wall, then simply place the ultra-light panel on it.

All of the new OLEDs promise higher brightness than last year’s models—about 25%—and all offer Ultra HD with high dynamic range (HDR). HDR10 and Dolby Vision compatibility come standard. Two other HDR formats, HLG (Hybrid Log Gamma) and Advanced HDT by Technicolor (both of which are possible candidates for broadcast HDR) can be added later through firmware. LG also calls the HDR in its premium sets “Active HDR,” as it’s designed to add metadata scene by scene even if the source has static metadata or none at all. I’m skeptical of how well such an automated active process can reflect the intent of the content provider, but we’ll see how it works when we get a review sample of one of the new sets when they become available.

All of the OLED sets also offer a form of Dolby Atmos from their internal speakers. In most of the models this appears to be done by processing, rather than true reproduction of the original material. But the flagship W7s have a matching sound bar that includes not only much of the set’s electronics (there’s no way to squeeze them into a set 2.4mm thick!) but also includes a self-contained Atmos 2.0.2 system (front L/R, no sub, no surrounds, no discrete center, and two upward firing Atmos speakers—shown greatly enlarged at the top of the above photo).

The 65-inch W7 will ship in March, with the other new OLEDs coming on line in the spring. No prices for any of the LG 2017 OLEDs were announced...

Read more at http://www.soundandvision.com/content/lg-steps-forward#cAAzb3cFEvuWzZ4o.99

http://www.soundandvision.com/content/lg-steps-forward#ZveAm6VwbEZMuYcu.97

awesome.  especially the 65w7 model that is only 2.5 mm thick or 1/10th of an inch thick and only weigh about 16 pounds.  65 inches big only weight 16 pounds.  that's very light.  i think the writer meant to say 2.5 mm thick, not 2.5 cm thick.

the 77 inches 77w7 model weigh only 28 pounds too which is still really light for a screen that size.  i read some commentators from other websites that said screen this thin may break easily.  a commentator said that he bought a sony tv that's really thin and when he took it out of the box, he probably damaged the edge of it because he can see screen bleeding at the edge.

hopefully that is not the case with these ultra thin tvs.  all of these 2017 oled tv models are 25% brighter than last year's model.  last year top of the line G6 model can go as bright as 800 nits of brightness.  25% brighter than that means 200 nits brighter which would total 1,000 nits of brightness.  very cool for hdr there.

this year oled tvs and some lcd tvs from lg also support newer hlg (hybrid log gamma) and advanced hdr from technicolor beside supporting hdr10 and dolby vision hdrs.  cool, more flexibility options for creators to choose which hdr to transmit their films and videos to our tvs like tv broadcast i think.

[Paul2]

LG Highlights HDR with Four On the Floor



LG lined up four of its OLEDs side by side, each displaying a different version of HDR: HDR by Technicolor, HLG (Hybrid Log Gamma), HDR10, and Dolby Vision.

While the best looking was a French cooking show in Dolby Vision from Netflix, it was impossible to draw any comparisons since each display showed different material.

http://www.soundandvision.com/content/lgs-four-floor#pCtKJLwj15xXwHsE.97

sound cool, or you can say look cool.

[Paul2]

http://hometheaterhifi.com/features/show-reports-film-festivals-concerts/ces-2017-show-report-day-2/

Here is a video of the 65 inch OLED TV model 65W7 hanged on the glass wall.  i think it's possibly thinner than an iphone.  maybe its has the same thickness of an iphone if include the magnet sheet that holds the screen in place.

[Paul2]

http://hometheaterhifi.com/features/show-reports-film-festivals-concerts/ces-2017-show-report-day-2/

on the video part, i suppose he used a smartphone to capture the video, but i would have prefer that he hold the phone horizontally so we can get a 16:9 aspect ratio widescreen of the video.  but the video is still nice though, it gives us an idea how thin the oled tv is.

[Paul2]

The first few Ultra HD Blu-ray players to arrive in 2016 had one thing in common: no support for the Dolby Vision high dynamic range format. No surprise there, since Dolby Vision-format movies aren’t yet available on Ultra HD Blu-ray disc.

Now it’s 2017 and things are looking different for Dolby Vision on Ultra HD Blu-ray. Warner, Universal, and Lionsgate have all announced plans to release Dolby Vision movies on disc in early 2017. And hardware manufacturers are following suit at CES by announcing Dolby Vision-compatible players, including LG with its UP970.

In addition to Dolby Vision support, which will arrive via a firmware update LG intends to make available later this year, the UP970 provides dual HDMI outputs to enable separate audio and video connections to a TV and AV receiver. All major streaming services that offer Dolby Vision, including Netflix and Amazon Video, are supported, so viewers should be able to stream compatible online content once LG’s firmware update arrives.

http://www.soundandvision.com/content/lg%E2%80%99s-first-ultra-hd-blu-ray-player-does-dolby-vision#f1X7HA6gjxcPxIwX.97

Cool.  LG first 4k Blu-Ray Player supports Dolby Vision hdr.  I think they might be the first 4k Blu-Ray player to do so.

Last year, Samsung was the first to released their 4k Blu-Ray players in the world and has an msrp of $400.  It was first released in late February of 2016 i think, and in less than 10 months later, in December of 2016, samsung dropped the price of their first 4k blu-ray player down to $200 for the holidays.  A huge 50% off.  Awesome that samsung dropped the price that much.

Philips also released their 4k Blu-Ray player last year too and possibly the 2nd company to release it and their blu-ray player has a msrp of $350, and in December of 2016, Philips also dropped the price of their 4k blu-ray player down to $180 for the holidays too.  Nearly 50% off.  another very cool move they did.

if last year is any indication, this year 4k blu-ray players from many major brands might cost under $200 by the end of this year for the holidays season.  As low as $150 or might be lower.

[Paul2]

Sony Unveils Its First OLED TVs in 3 Screen Sizes



...Sony’s first OLEDs will arrive later in 2017 in 77-, 65-, and 55-inch screen sizes (pricing info was not announced). The 4K displays support both the Dolby Vision and HDR10 high dynamic range formats, and they feature the same 4K HDR Processor X1 Extreme used in the company’s flagship Z9D Series TVs . They also feature Sony’s wild new Acoustic Surface technology, which vibrates the entire screen to emit sound, thus eliminating the need for side- or bottom-mounted speakers...

http://www.soundandvision.com/content/sony-unveils-its-first-oled-tvs-ces#I7XSXOkLeGvTlwwc.97

Sony finally announced their first big screen oled tvs.  i read that these oled panels are from lg that sony bought but the electronics and processing parts are from sony.  not sure if the sound coming out of the screen will affect the picture on the screen though.  but it does sounds like a cool idea and sounds coming from the screen will travel straight to our ears instead of sound coming from under or above the tv or from the sides of the screen from tvs with speakers on the side of the tvs or under or above the tv.  or surround sound speakers for that matter.

But it seems like sony made these oled tvs stand in a slanted position.  not sure if it's possible to adjust it to stand in a straight position though.  i prefer tv screens standing straight than slanted backward or forward for that matter.

[Paul2]

Here are some more pics of Sony OLED Tvs and their 4k blu-ray players.






http://hometheaterhifi.com/features/show-reports-film-festivals-concerts/ces-2017-show-report-day-1/

and here are pics of panasonic 4k blu-rays players.

[Paul2]

...One demo in the Qualcomm booth provided a hint of good things to come for on-the-go videophiles. The demo consisted of two smartphones both playing video and connected to an external TV. The first phone was playing regular HD, and the second was playing HDR10-format high dynamic range video, a solution made possible by Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 835 processor. To my eyes, the benefits of HDR video on a phone were clear—they didn’t even need to have the device connected to big-screen TV.

Which smartphone apps will benefit from HDR? The usual suspects that we look to now for HDR playback on our TVs: Netflix, Amazon Video, Vudu, YouTube, etc. With new portables such as the iPhone 7 arriving with an ability to achieve full DCI-P3 color space, the combination of HDR and wide color gamut display on mobile devices could make on-the-go video a compromise-free experience.

http://www.soundandvision.com/content/qualcomm-demos-mobile-high-dynamic-range-video#jXOXQS5SB0hz1X9X.97

cool that smartphones finally supported hdr and we can get hdr sources from apps such as youtube and netflix to smart phones that support hdr like the iphone 7.

[clips]

Those are some nice sets....I need to get rid of my big ass 1 ton 55 inch projector flat screen i have in my garage...

[Titan]

Those are some nice sets....I need to get rid of my big ass 1 ton 55 inch projector flat screen i have in my garage...

Your wife banished you to the garage?

[Paul2]

welcome back clips.  i made a birthday thread for you on the birthday board 3 months ago.  hope you can visit and chime in.

[clips]

Those are some nice sets....I need to get rid of my big ass 1 ton 55 inch projector flat screen i have in my garage...

Your wife banished you to the garage?

Haha.... ...nope, i purchased a newer flat- screened 55 inch.....that flat-screen projector weighed a ton!...


@Paul...I will check it out...thanks!