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Toshiba unveils world's first1 large-screen glasses-free 3D TV*



The 55ZL2 offers innovative first-class technology in a premium design delivering a 3D experience without the need for 3D glasses

Neuss, Germany, 1



GmbH announced the launch of the world's first large-screen glasses-free 3D TV. The 55ZL2 has a screen of 139cm (55") in diagonal and does not require glasses to experience 3D. Plus, the 55ZL2 is the world's first TV targeted at consumers that comes with a Quad FullHD screen. This enables the 55ZL2 to offer a 3D TV experience that can be enjoyed by a large group of viewers and displays 2D contents in four times (Quad) Full HD resolution. The 55ZL2's glasses-free 3D application is powered by Toshiba's high-performance multi-processor platform CEVO-ENGINE which also allows for many more innovative applications including PERSONAL-TV, enabling the consumer to personalise TV settings, and SMART-TV applications such as USB recording and access to Toshiba Places. It also comes with an Auto Calibration feature to achieve studio level picture quality. The 55ZL2 will be available from December 2011 in Germany with release dates to be confirmed in other European countries



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September 2011 – Today, Toshiba Europe



A new era for 3D TV



Toshiba engineers used their skills in designing software algorithms



and developing powerful consumer electronics processor technology



to calculate multiple viewpoints from stereoscopic images, combined



with the ability to display them at high picture quality on a large



screen. In the 55ZL2, they deployed an array of lenticular lenses that



are found for the first time in such a large-screen device ready for



market.



Sophisticated lenslet technology delivers multiple views



The glasses-free 3D technology is based on the stereoscopic principle



of simultaneously delivering a picture for the left eye and another one



As of September 1st, 2011 for digital high definition LCD TV in consumer markets. (Source:Toshiba)



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with a small offset (parallax) for the right eye – these are then



superposed in the viewer's brain to get the 3D effect. To achieve 3D



without glasses, it is essential that the lenses guide the dedicated



images to the viewer's eyes. The Integral Imaging technology,



powered by the CEVO-ENGINE, applied to the 55ZL2 delivers nine



views which create multiple wide-angle viewing zones in front of the



glasses-free 3D TV. This allows several viewers to enjoy the 3D



experience at the same time without wearing glasses.



Face tracking optimises glasses-free 3D experience



To optimise the viewing zones in respect to the viewers' actual



positions in front of the TV, the 55ZL2 features a face tracking



application. At the push of the remote, it detects the viewers' position



and sets up the total viewing experience.



Quad Full HD screen for excellent picture quality in 3D and 2D



Delivering nine views from a screen in high definition picture quality is



technically challenging. Toshiba therefore embedded a panel with



3,840 x 2,160 pixels, equivalent to a Quad Full HD resolution, to allow



up to nine views to be displayed simultaneously. An additional bonus



of the 55ZL2's high resolution screen is the ability to display 2D



contents in Quad Full HD resolution. In other words: photos captured



with an 8 Mega-Pixel camera can be displayed on screen without



compromising the image quality.



By using complex algorithms, Toshiba's Resolution+ technology



converts content such as TV programmes in SD or HD resolution - as



well as DVD or Blu-rayTM content in four times Full HD resolution - to



make full use of the high definition of the Quad FHD display.



A smart and personalised window to the world



The 55ZL2 delivers much more than glasses-free 3DTV. It also



features advanced SMART-TV functions providing access to Toshiba



Places, Toshiba's online platform offering streaming, purchasing and



sharing Web-based content. Plus, it supports the HbbTV® (Hybrid



broadcast broadband TV). Last but not least, the 55ZL2 allows USB



recording of digital broadcasting on an external hard disk drive



connected to the TV via USB. Thanks to Toshiba Apps Connect,



iPhone® owners no longer need to reach for the remote control but



can control the TV using their smartphone.



The 55ZL2 also features PERSONAL-TV applications: The TV is able



to store personal picture settings and a personal channel list for up to



four users and it supports personal grouping of recorded content. In



addition, the TV set is able to remember the volume level of each user



after switching off.



CEVO-ENGINE: the powerhouse behind the innovative features



The CEVO-ENGINE, Toshiba's high-performance multi-processor



platform, is the powerhouse behind the 55ZL2. The CEVO-ENGINE's



outstanding technology is able to deliver the depth information needed



to create the 3D effect and then calculates nine different views. It is



the only engine available in the TV market today that is able to deliver



the huge calculation power required to manage the complex



algorithms that implement the glasses-free 3D technology and



applications.



Auto Calibration: picture quality at studio level



The 55ZL2 exploits the CEVO-ENGINE's performance to further



increase picture quality. It powers the Auto Calibration 2 tool, which



optimises the display's settings to show movies with exactly the



colours and grey scale as intended by the films' directors. Until now,



the colour-analyser3-based approach was only used by professionals



and required an external computer. Now the CEVO-ENGINE can



carry out all calculations internally.