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Previews
Previews IFA Berlin: Home Theater Highlights
Thursday, September 4, 2014 at 11:38AM 
IFA Berlin is the ideal destination for a pre-CES peek at what home theater display goodness we can expect to see in the coming year. All of the major TV manufacturers love showing off its latest creations, and remember that this year's prototypes are often good indicators of next year's realities.
LG Electronics
LG's maturing OLED TV lineup included a look at the company's upcoming EG9700 curved screen series that features 2160p resolution (57.22 PPI) or 4-times the number of pixels compared to a 1080p screen. As TV screen sizes expand beyond 70-inches, the increased pixel count of 2160p resolution delivers a more seamless, window-like viewing experience compared to the larger pixel structure of 1080p resolution at similar sizes. LG also unveiled a prototype 98-inch 4320p (89.91 PPI) non-curved LCD screen - that's more than 33.1 million total pixels!
This is what we've come to see at #IFA2014. LG's 77" curved @UHD4k OLED TV. pic.twitter.com/6jxjQlTfIO
— HDTVTest (@HDTVTest) September 4, 2014
Panasonic
The Panasonic/Sony "all print method" OLED technology development partnership appears to be bearing fruit. Panasonic had a few of its prototype 65-inch 2160p (67.78 PPI) curved OLED TVs on display and the general consensus is that more OLED options equal more eye candy (at increasingly competitive prices) for all! However, I predict that 1080p OLED TVs won't achieve mainstream pricing for another year while 2160p OLED TVs will soon become the new premium display technology for home theater aficionados.
Panasonic's new 65" @UHD4k curved OLED TV prototype at its #IFA2014 hall to assess feedback. Just launch it already! pic.twitter.com/S2Of2JVvWn
— HDTVTest (@HDTVTest) September 4, 2014
Philips
Philips has had a relatively quiet presence in the U.S. TV market of late since the brand was acquired by TVP Technology, but if you appreciate dynamic RGB LED bias lighting, then its new Ambilight-enabled screens are sure to draw your attention. Also demonstrated at IFA was a new high-resolution Ambilight system dubbed "Afterglow" that extends on-screen imagery to the surrounding wall surfaces - more details are expected late October.
Philips Ambilight lives! http://t.co/ABpGB1439X And coming soon, "Afterglow!" http://t.co/K07yJYlkYp I like my bias lighting stable FWIW.
— David Katzmaier (@dkatzmaier) September 4, 2014
Samsung
Samsung also revealed a 98-inch prototype flat LCD with 4320p resolution (89.91 PPI) as well as a few 1080p and 2160p curved OLED screens, but all were prototypes with no release date or pricing information. 2015 CES anyone?
And as if by magic, Samsung also has a 98" 8K TV on display at its #IFA2014 hall. pic.twitter.com/RBwarJQzLQ
— HDTVTest (@HDTVTest) September 4, 2014
Samsung's cinema-like 21:9 aspect ratio LCD televisions include a new 105-inch 5120x2160 resolution (52.92 PPI) bendable model for people that cannot decide between flat or curved!
Samsung's gigantic 105" bendable @UHD4k TV at its #IFA2014 hall. Size does matter for immersiveness... pic.twitter.com/ZnU1fK822U
— HDTVTest (@HDTVTest) September 4, 2014
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