At CES this year, THX was on hand to tout their newly expanded certification proliferation in the display market. LG's upcoming 1080p series of plasma HDTVs (PS60 and PS80 specifically) will offer THX Display Certification, which assures accurate picture reproduction and a more immersive viewing experience. THX certification covers the entire process from the initial product design phase, with two main technical objectives: high standards of manufacturing and optimized image quality/signal processing.
Specific performance standards are set by THX for black levels, resolution, contrast and color gamut. THX signal processing tests also determine a display's scaling, motion conversion and de-interlacing capabilities, calling out any aspects that might require improvement by the manufacturer. As a result, consumers also have a better idea how a given TV will perform on a variety of high-definition as well as standard-definition content.
The PS80 series also comes equipped with THX Media Director, a feature designed to simplify use while optimizing the audio and video settings, delivering a more faithful entertainment experience. With THX Media Director, picture and sound settings are communicated directly to other THX Media Director-enabled consumer electronics devices, dynamically configuring them for the best playback of digital media such as movies and music. These two technologies combine to make setup painless and viewing more enjoyable on any THX-certified display.
Panasonic meanwhile will now be offering eight VIERA HDTVs that have achieved THX certification, up from four in 2008. The V10 VIERA series includes the TC-P50V10 50-inch class, the TC-P54V10 54-inch class, the TC-P58V10 58-inch class and the TC-P65V10 65-inch class screen sizes. The G10 lineup features the TC-P42G10 42-inch class, the TC-P46G10 46-inch class, the TC-P50G10 50-inch class and the TC-P54G10 54-inch class screen sizes. Panasonic's V10 series of THX-Certified Displays also include THX Cinema Mode, an out-of-the-box, user-accessible video setting designed to bring video performance as close as possible to the original studio's quality levels.
Also at the show, THX and Radiient Technologies announced their partnership on the creation of the THX Roomcaster, an ultra-wideband (UWB) wireless technology to deliver high-quality surround sound reliably in the home. Wireless surround has long been the topic of discussion, but interference and other technical challenges have made it largely a non-starter. THX Roomcaster promises interference-free 5.1 and 7.1 audio over a wireless network, bona fide surround unaffected by cordless phones, wi-fi, etc. Look (and listen) for THX Roomcaster-enabled products in the future.
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