The ultimate Big Screen 3D experience: IMAX Hyderabad

After last week’s IFA Berlin 2012 visit, I expected a slow and stretched weekend this time round. Keeping that in mind, I had already rented a couple of Blu-ray DVD’s and planned the two idle days on the comfy beanbag of my living room. That is when a phone call saved my weekend. Kavita, a close school pal of mine had been pestering me to come spend some time with her in Hyderabad. It has been a good three years since I last caught up with her so I duly obliged.

Some quick packing and a last minute airline booking saw me arrive at Hyderabad early in the morning the very next day. What surprised me a lot was that Kuku (her pet name) was waiting for me outside the exit doors of the airport (her usual laziness is astonishing..) A quick ride to her place at Panjagutta and we crashed after having paranthas and kadak chai..I did not even realize it was noon until she put her iPod dock on full volume to wake me up. An hour later, we were on our way to Salar Jung Museum to experience the artifacts displaying the heroics of the noble dynasty. I have never been a fan of History, but the peace and calm with which I enjoyed roaming around the hallways of the place was welcome change from the crowded Delhi culture. One more important attraction there were the cafeteria DOSAS; absolute yum. The food fest evening concluded with a dinner at the Paradise hotel, which is very popular for their delicious Biryani. We spent the hours before sleeping with constant chit-chat and that is when she told me about the surprise she had planned for me next day.

Since the time I have purchased my LG 3D TV, I have had this mean streak of educating almost everyone I know about the wonders of this technology. Whether they absorbed it willfully or not is a different matter altogether ; what Kuku had in store for me was an afternoon show for the Amazing Spider Man at Prasad’s Imax 3D theatre. I haven’t been overly enthused of the movie selection as the trailers did not generate much interest in my mind but the Imax experience is something every 3D enthusiast must have so it was a pretty square deal. After reaching the theatre and getting through the customary security checks (absolutely hate them!) we made our way to the assigned audi hall and were handed 3D glasses pretty similar to the ones I use with my TV. And the 3D experience was extravagant and fantabulous rolled into one. I actually hugged Kuku after the movie for taking the initiative.

In the grander scheme of things, this 3D Cinema Theatre employs the same passive 3D technology which is rapidly becoming a consumer and critic favorite when it comes to 3D TV’s. I will leave the final opinion to the reader but as far as I am concerned, vision-friendly 3D is here to stay and conquer!

Revisiting the memories of EURO 2012

“When I get older I will be stronger, they’ll call me freedom just like a Wavin’ Flag……”

 

Well I was viewing this video on my LG Smartphone when suddenly the memories of the latest Euros gone by came gushing to my head. And it is in part owing to these touching and profound lyrics from African artist K’naan. In India, football becomes popular only during major tournaments like the Euro’s or World Cup’s but for majority of the world it is equivalent to religion. I on my part love to watch football every now and again as I find it much more enjoyable than cricket.

The world bore witness to this showpiece occasion of football virtuosos strutting their stuff on the green turfs of Poland and Ukraine (although No Leo Messi here L). And since it had to start with group stage eliminations, none would have been more interesting than Group B or as pundits popularized it, “The Group of Death” comprising of heavyweights like Portugal, Germany and Netherlands and relative weaklings Denmark (no disrespect). But how the group panned out was to be a surprise. Last time’s runners up Netherlands folded like a paper bag while Denmark impressed in spells making sure that the group wasn’t devoid of any action till the very last in which Ze Germans and Portuguese made it through.

England, as always has been the case were hyped up underachievers and unfortunately for them the streak continued as Andrea Pirlo’s midfield master class meant that the English merely survived the grueling two hours before being eliminated on penalties. And what the Azzurri did in the semis was even more remarkable. Cesare Prandelli’s troups with the inspired display of the usually bratty Mario Balotelli bamboozled the potential contenders Germany out in the semis.

On the other hand, it was defending champions Spain who had caught the eye of many a fan and analyst with their false # 9 tactics. With David Villa unavailable through injury and Fernando Torres misfiring more often than not, Del Bosque deployed Fabregas in a false striker role with the likes of Xavi, Iniesta and Silva bossing the midfield ala their customary tiki taka. And having reaped the rewards during their Euro 2010 and World Cup conquests La Roja quickly moved up the blocks as the competition progressed to its crucial stages. The reigning champions finally got the stuck in Portuguese out of the way to set up a final showdown with the Azzurri.

But the final turned out to be damp squid not because it wasn’t entertaining, but because one would have simply not expected the peripheral no-show from the Italians which saw them on the wrong end of a 4-0 hiding at the hands of the Spaniards. I really felt for Italy’s goalie Gigi Buffon as he had been exceptional throughout the tournament and an elevated sense of respect towards St. Iker Casillas for his humility and sportsmanship before and after the final whistle. And before we knew it, the magnificent spectacle had come to an end with Spain reminding the rest of Europe that they are still the team to beat in the international arena.

But every good thing has its low points and so did Euro 2012. The disallowing of Marko Devic’s goal against England in the group stages had the players and experts all up in arms for goal line technologies to be implemented. And I think if the recent Olympics is anything to go by, then UEFA can look to incorporate passive 3D goal-line technologies being employed by the likes of LG and Toshiba as it will be able to give a pretty real time analysis of such situations. And even though UEFA has angrily reacted to the mass petulance in this regard, I think I am with the majority that this should happen sooner rather than later. And since you may ask why, I would like to quote the great Bill Shankly who once said

“Some people think football is a matter of life and death. I assure you, it is much more serious than that..”

Final Day at Messe Berlin : 3D wall and my new love for OLED TV

Yes, unfortunate but true. I enjoyed a stupendous Saturday with the showcase of the OLED 3D TV by LG. This newest in line OLED TV has already has the distinction of being the best product at CES Las Vegas 2012. But Sunday came a bit early for me as this was the final time I went to Messe Berlin. 24 hours later, I am sitting in my office desk wondering “Waqt di fer-palat te vekho, kal Germany te aaj Nai Dilli L”, but if I am being absolutely honest, I enjoyed returning back home after a hectic but fabulous few days in Berlin.

I have already told you guys about the OLED TV as well as the 4K TV’s and my last day was just about introspection of whether I might have missed something I shouldn’t. Most of my time was spent looking at the various Smartphones namely Optimus L9, HTC Desire, the three variants of Experia series and Samsung Note II. But I have been left disappointed about the fact that in spite of making the Optimus G official just days before the IFA Berlin 2012, LG has not displayed it in Messe Berlin. Maybe its part of their strategic marketing to avoid duplication after the recent Apple-Samsung verdict but the fan inside me is still reeling from it. Largely because the technical specs on the device make it one of the most awaited LTE Smartphone in recent times.

But it was not all gloom as I got a glimpse of the LG 3D Video Wall during the wee hours of my visit. Based on the same Cinema 3D technology with IPS panels, the Film Patterned Retarder based screens provide flicker-free passive 3D and the In Plane switching panels allow a wide viewing angle and consistent white distribution to accommodate a large audience. WM70MD 55” LED displays were arranged in a cinema screen design and with the narrowest bezel in the world (5.3 mm), these displays seamlessly reinvent the concept of 3D viewing. Indeed, “And after all, you’re my Wonderwall..” echoed in my entangled brain. Maybe this clip on Youtube will give you a better idea of it.

So to sum it up, the “Internationale Funkausstellung Berlin” was like a goodies bag full of surprises. The unveiling of the LG OLED 3D Smart TV, the mini LG TM 2792 Cinema 3D TV and also the first ascendance of 4K TV’s like the LG UD 3D 84” TV as well as their Sony and Samsung counterparts were the definite highlights of the fair. Even the disappointment of the no show of Optimus G was compensated by the 3D Video Wall. Now all I eagerly await is the tentative release dates of this fabulous 55” OLED TV in India. Till then, I will stick to enjoying true quality and high definition 3D on my LM6700 J

IFA 2012 Berlin : Next Generation 4K 3D TV and Beer in Ze Germany

Hello folks, Nisha is back again. My pursuit of technology and 3D TV’s is at its peak at the moment and it has got a lot to do on what will transpire this weekend.

Just two days left to the IFA Tradeshow 2012 in Berlin, Germany and this post is a just a pre-cursor to what I feel I can expect there. The major draw is definitely the all-Korean grudge match between LG and Samsung when they go head to head by unveiling their latest range of 3D TV’s. On one hand, we have Samsung’s 75” Smart 3D LED TV with a bezel as thick as a third of an inch and Dual-core powered 240 Hz panel. Its opponent is the massive LG 84” UD 3D TV with Ultra Definition 3D technology and is the world’s first 4K 3D TV.

I would love to experience both these monsters first hand when I reach Berlin in a couple of days and deary me I can’t wait! Samsung’s Smart TV promises to be an enticing option with its 35 million: 1 dynamic ratio and standard Voice and Touch Recognition. The 240 Hz frame is also a big step up in its active 3D format to bring down the issues of crosstalk and allows the unit to have a better refresh rate to avoid image and color distortion. In comparison, LG’s humongous offering is the first of its kind in the 4K TV market which as per the company will provide “The most immersive viewing experience possible”. Its superlative 8 million pixels per frame is four times the standard resolution of the current full HDTV’s along with Resolution Upscaler to view high quality content through portable media.

The most striking difference between the two however, will be the active and passive 3D technology on which Samsung and LG’s TV’s are based respectively. After my love affair with LG LM6700 Smart TV, I personally feel that LG has the edge. And more so with the Smart TV Dashboard promising up to 1400 apps and 3D world features for abundance of 3D content. The finish on both the sets is top notch but await my final verdict after return!

The other two things I eagerly await to see as the LG stall is a sneak peak of the LG Optimus G Smartphone which will have a Quad Core 1.5 GHz processor with 2GB RAM and sports a neat 13 MP Camera. In other words, the most high-end Smartphone one would be able to lay his/her hands on. The second one is the unveiling of their premium IPS monitors which has enabled the LG Cinema 3D range built with LED technology to have the most vivid visuals, wide viewing angles and color wash next to zilch.

That’s all the time I have for now as the check-in process for flight boarding has already started. (Yes, I am at the airport while I write this!) Till then, stay updated and do try and catch a glimpse of IFA 2012 if possible. Hasta luego fellas !!