Just when we were about to vomit "mobile devices" (look at most of our stories), we got invited to Toshiba's TV launch in Singapore, where the company just established its Asian TV business headquarters division. Hallelujah, there is a god!
So what did Tosh unveil? Are they anything your mom would approve of? She You be the judge.
Toshiba 55ZL800
This 55-inch with 2D to 3D conversion screams "flagship LED TV," inspired no less by the CELL Regza TV, what Toshiba calls "the ultimate entertainment machine." It's running on the newly developed CEVO Engine, a high-performance multiprocessor platform that supposedly delivers superb image quality; sharp, realistic 3D; and excellent sound quality. Of course, the engine is getting a lot of help from the high-luminance Mega LED Panel, which introduces 512-cluster local dimming to adjust the backlighting according to the displayed content. The result should be high contrast and precise black and a detailed gray scale. The luminance peaks at 1,000cd/m2, and the dynamic contrast ratio is in the 9,000,000: 1 range. A 2-way sound-bar speaker system driven by a 40W multichannel amplifier assures that the sound department is all accounted for. But you know what we're honestly surprised about? The fact that it's being introduced here first instead of the US and European markets. If only for that one, we'll give you an A, Tosh.
Toshiba Regza WL700
No contest, this is the head turner of the group. If it were a person, it would definitely be in the Anne Curtis league. What do you expect? It's the product of a collaboration between Toshiba and the more-awards-than-you-can-handle firm Jacob Jensen Design. But it's not all beauty because the WL700's definitely got substance. It is a Regza, after all. The first 3D LED TV in the Asean market, available in 46-inch and 55-inch variants, offers improved 3D picture quality, thanks to the Meta Brain Premium video engine and 3D Resolution+ tech. What say you, you with the money but ain't sharing it with us?
Toshiba Power TV Series
LED TV with integrated battery backup? Now this is useful in areas where power supply can be uncertain. (Oh no, don't you remind us of our power crisis.) This world's first, when fully charged, can stay up with you for about 2 hours. That's long enough for you to watch 4 soap operas. It's got Auto Signal Booster, so you don't have to worry about signal sensitivity if you're in a place with weak signal strength. It also features Auto View, which monitors room brightness and adjusts the backlight and other picture parameters accordingly, so you don't have to think about high running costs. Less stuff to worry about, less hassle, less stress.
Toshiba Glasses-free 3D TV
The 2 models from this series, the 12GL1 (12-incher) and the 20GL1 (20-incher), may be released in Japan first, but Tosh showed us the 3D TV that could save you from looking like a dork, anyway. It has 27 sub-pixels in 1 pixel, 9 times more than with traditional 2D LCD TV's. The laying of color is changed from a vertical stripe format to the horizontal stripe format required to create the 3D effect. 9 images are then created from the original one. These images pass through the perpendicular lenticular sheet to achieve precise rendering. As a result of the process, you get to sit pretty and watch 3D movies in different angles. Besides the fact that you may be experiencing nosebleed now, everything here sounds awesome, doesn't it?
Meet the TVs. Check out the gallery below.