Following its recent global premiere at the IFA (Internationale Funkausstellung Berlin) show in Germany, LG's PX950 Plasma HDTV was unveiled stateside in New York City this week, with one particular accolade ringing above the rest. The PX950 is the world's first 3D TV to receive THX certification for its 3D capabilities.
THX has developed a stringent, closely guarded series of testing procedures that manufacturers seek out as a sort of badge of honor for their best products. One set of criteria applies to 2D performance; grayscale, jaggies, color, etc.; but entirely different challenges await current 3D displays. 3D TVs must receive THX certification for their 2D quality before they are eligible for THX 3D certification. Accurate color is difficult for 3D TVs to achieve, for example, and ghosting and viewer fatigue are significant problems that need to be accounted for as well.
All told, the PX950 passed more than 400 laboratory tests evaluating left and right eye images for color accuracy, cross-talk, viewing angles and video processing performance. Now, with the push of a button, viewers can select THX 2D or 3D Cinema Modes in the onscreen menus for optimized 2D and 3D experiences from both broadcast and Blu-ray sources. These specific presets tweak the color temperature, luminance and gamma levels. There is a dedicated "Bright Room" setting as well, but this is for 2D viewing only, as 3D viewing is best in darker environments.
The PX950 requires active shutter glasses (sold separately) and an emitter built directly into the TV. The 600Hz Max Sub-field Driving assures smooth delivery of fast action, and the 3D Plasma Panel phases out light to virtually eliminate blur. LG's TruBlack Filter blocks external light reflections at the same time it maximizes the transmission of internal light, for deeper blacks and superior contrast, rated by LG at 5M:1.
The Dual XD Engine upconverts standard-definition video to quasi-HD quality. The TV also offers 2D-to-3D conversion, with a wide 3D viewing angle made possible by self-illuminating pixels, enjoyable while sitting or even lying down just about anywhere in front of the TV.
Not related to THX or 3D but still pretty nifty is the NetCast Entertainment Access suite of online features. It now includes Netflix movie and TV show streaming, VUDU video rental/purchase at up to 1080p quality, Yahoo! Widgets, Yahoo! News, Weather and Finance, plus new CBS, Showtime and CNBC widgets. In addition, YouTube access is onboard, along with Picasa Web Albums, Google's photo software to view photo collections remotely.
The THX certification criteria and testing methodologies for 3D TVs and content took more than a year to develop. Although no titles were given, press in attendance at today's event were told that Blu-ray 3D discs that will carry "THX 3D" certification are in the works right now, including at least one major motion picture (our guess would be Avatar). Furthermore, an upcoming promotion will reward consumers who buy selected LG 3D hardware bundles with an exclusive copy of the IMAX: Under the Sea Blu-ray 3D disc, which will not be available elsewhere. LG was demo'ing this disc on a 50-inch PX950, and it looked absolutely gorgeous.
LG's PX950 series is available immediately, in both 60-inch (MSRP $2,999) and 50-inch ($1,999) diagonal screen sizes .
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