This year at the Annual CES show in Las Vegas, there was definitely buzz generated around Smart TVs.  Television makers were aiming to impress and bring forth cutting edge technology.  Here are some snippets of what TV lift cabinet owners can expect to see come to market within the next year.

• Samsung and LG are increasing their sets’ processing power and memory to give television watchers the ability to streamline content and videoconference via Skype with friends.
• Samsung, Sony, and LG are using organic light-emitting diode (OLED) technology.  OLED can glow without separate light source.  In laymen terms, enabling them to produce wafer thin TVs.
• LG will sell these OLED televisions with a motion sensing Magic Remote.  Their new Magic Remote has voice recognition capabilities.

Do you have the new Sharp 70” TV?  If so, you may be interested to learn we are building a cabinet just for you!  Coming soon we will be introducing the Pacifica.  The Pacifica, which is modeled after our Banyan Creek XL TV Lift Cabinet, will house up to a 70” TV with maximum TV dimensions  at 63.5” x 3.5” x 38.5” (without stand).

The Pacifica will be finished in a rich mahogany stain with rounded corner edged cabinet doors.  The cabinet doors are being built with interchangeable wood and speaker panels.  The top hutch also comes with interchangeable wood and speaker panels, allowing customers to store their sound bar comfortably in this top drawer.  Plenty of storage will be available behind the front cabinet doors.  The Pacifica also will come with our built-in Infrared Relay System allowing TV watchers to operate their electronics behind closed doors!  The overall dimensions of the cabinet are 70.75” x 28.5” x 42.5”.  The Pacifica is selling at $3499.

To reserve one of the Pacifica TV Lift Cabinets being built, please contact our office at 561-417-0999.

According to Technology News website CNET, Toshiba has confirmed that they will begin shipping a Glasses-Free 3D TV to the U.S. in early 2012. No indication was given to CNET on possible sizes for the TV. Toshiba currently has glasses-free 55” 3D TVs for sale overseas in Germany and Japan where they sell for over $10,000 apiece in each country.

The glasses-free model will be a welcome development for a large percentage of 3D TV fans and TV lift cabinet owners. Common complaints from 3D TV viewers, as well as those who have tried but shunned the devices: A) Glasses are inconvenient and can interfere with performing multiple tasks while watching 3D entertainment and B) The 3D glasses and resulting images can cause headaches.

So, how does it work? We frequently touch on the topic of 3D TVs on our blog and the topic of Toshiba’s glasses-free 3D TV has been discussed previously when it was more in its infancy. 3D TV works by presenting each eye with a slightly different image, giving the viewer perceived three dimensional pictures. Typically, the glasses would combine the two images to result in the 3D picture. In the glasses-free model, many tiny lenses project two different pictures from the screen, one to each of the viewer’s eyes. This effect is easier to achieve with only one viewer. With multiple viewers, the TV must ‘learn’ where the faces are located and project images accordingly. This is one major difference between Toshiba’s 3D TV and watching a standard HD TV. With Toshiba’s 3D model, the viewer(s) will need to press a button on the remote to launch facial recognition software. This allows the TV to present the best possible image for all viewers – pretty incredible stuff. We can’t wait to read more about it when the newest prototype is unveiled at CES on Sunday.

Take a look at our contemporary Prism TV Lift Cabinet! The Prism features geometrically pleasing lines and is finished on all four sides to be used as a foot of the bed, against the wall or free standing.   This cabinet comes fully equipped with our Infrared Relay System. Our IR system allows for TV watchers to enjoy their TV without having to look at their AV components.  The components can stay out of sight at all times!  The Prism also features flip down panels on both sides of cabinet providing reversible access to AV components.  The Prism is available in three different finishes: espresso, black, or white.  The maximum TV size dimensions are 49 3/4″W x 5 1/2″D x 28″H.

Over the years, our customers have asked us to build larger TV Lift Cabinets to accommodate their 60” TVs.  We have listened.  Two years ago we introduced the first cabinet to hold a 60” TV: The Banyan Creek XL.  The Banyan Creek XL has been well received and is becoming one of our best sellers.  However, the Banyan Creek XL only appeals to our more traditional styled customers.  We were still missing a cabinet that appealed to the customers with modern/transitional style.  That is until now.

TVLiftCabinet.com has been hard at work over the last year designing a modern cabinet that can hold up to a 60” TV.  The result is the Concord TV Lift Cabinet.  This sleek, modern cabinet is stained is a clean espresso finish with brass nickel drawer pulls.  The Concord features a 56 3/8” x 16 ¾” x 7 1/8” cubby opening that can be used to store a sound bar, showcase family photos and artwork or display video collections.

The Concord also has plenty of storage with two cabinet doors opening up to stacked adjusted shelves and three center cabinet drawers.  Our Infrared Relay System is built in to enable TV Viewers maximum enjoyment.  TV Viewers can operate their electronics while their electronics remain hidden behind closed doors at all times.   The Concord TV Lift Cabinet will be available come February.

While Apple is busy keeping their planning under wraps, the rest of us are busy trying to discover what they are up to, especially when it comes to their iTV.

What has been leaked through the grapevine is that Samsung Electronics in Korea has started producing chips for the iTVs since November 2011.  Sharp also is rumored to be producing the displays for the new TVs.  The screens will be relatively small for the initial introductory phase at between 32 and 37 inches and will be better suited for the small foot of the bed TV lift cabinets.

Sterne Agee Analyst Shaw Wu wrote, ““We continue to hear what AAPL would love to do is offer users the ability to choose their own customized programming, i.e., whichever channels/shows they want for a monthly subscription fee. This is obviously much more complicated from a licensing standpoint. And in our view, would change the game for television and give AAPL a big leg-up against the competition.”

Wu goes on to write about how the biggest obstacle right now for Apple to iron out its content partnerships and licensing terms.  Apple has content and licensing agreements in place for iTunes but only for movie rentals, not TV shows or live broadcast television.  Apple would like live television offered via the internet or IPTV instead of through cable providers.  That is the direction Apple would like to go in and is currently in discussions to make this happen.

LG has announced its newest and largest OLED TV – a 55” panel with some pretty amazing specs. OLED (Organic Light Emitting Diodes) technology has, in the past, been limited by smaller screen sizes and expensive price tags. However, according to LG’s press release, their 55” panel has overcome these obstacles.

The diodes in OLED TVs self-generate light and send electric signals at a rate far faster than LCD. In turn, the TV has a clearer picture and a wider range of colors. LG uses white OLEDs overlaid with color diodes to produce an “ultra definition” picture. Concerned that all this great technology may lead to a bulkier end product? Think again. The TV is a remarkable 5mm thick – thinner than a pen! Not only will the TV impress techies, but environmentalists will also approve – the diodes in the screen can be turned on or off to account for lower power consumption than most mainstream TVs.  LG’s 55” OLED TV will be unveiled in January at CES 2012 in Las Vegas. There is no word yet on when the product will available for your TV lift cabinet.

Film Director Peter Jackson is bringing us back to the Shire yet again, with his latest movie, The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey.  This movie tells the story (with a few twists) of J.R.R. Tolkien’s novel, The Hobbit which is the prequel to the Lord of Rings film trilogy.

For those Lord of the Ring enthusiasts, this is another chance to escape into the realm of Middle Earth. Jackson has brought back some of the original cast from Lord of the Rings, with Elijah Wood playing Frodo, Cate Blanchett the White Witch, Orlando Bloom as Legolas and Ian Holm as Bilbo.

The novel is being broken down into two parts.  The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey is the first part of the story.  The second movie is called The Hobbit: There and Back Again.  The first movie is scheduled to be released on December 14, 2012 with part 2 coming out a year later on December 13^, 2013.  It may be awhile for these movies to make it to your TV lift cabinets, but great films are always worth the wait.  I expect nothing less from Peter Jackson’s films. The trailer clip can be viewed here.

The Crystal Pointe XL has all the bells and whistles of the regular sized Crystal Pointe, but can also accommodate up to a 55” TV.  TV enthusiasts will love this cabinet for the sheer fact they can get the larger screen.  This beautiful TV lift cabinet has intricately carved corner pillars, rounded edges, and a rich mahogany veneer finish.  Finished on four sides, it is geared to be used as a foot of the bed cabinet.  However, the cabinet can be rotated to be used against a wall so that the bottom drawers become accessible from the front.

The Crystal Pointe XL comes with built-in Infrared Relay System consisting of the main unit, flush mounted infrared sensor eye, and four high output flashers.  The Infrared Relay System allows TV watchers to operate their electronic equipment with the drawers closed.

Apple has made it no secret that they plan to enter into the television market.  In Steve Jobs’ biography titled “Steve Jobs”, Jobs mentions how he felt he had finally come up with the solution to enhance the standard HDTV.  It makes sense for Apple to use their existing technology for ipads and iphones and apply it towards the television.

The ultimate Smart TV would have features such as wireless streaming capabilities, voice and motion controls and the ability to share content across multiple devices.  Consumers would be able to stream content from their ipads directly onto their Smart TV inside their TV lift cabinet.  According to The Wall Street Journal, Apple is currently in discussions with media executives to discuss their progress on developing a Smart TV.  It will be interesting to see what features Apple creates for their new Smart TV and when this TV will be released to general public.