As cool as watching 3D content is, the truth is that you will not be able to touch what you are watching. However today, the researchers from Gifu University in Japan have developed a system called HIRO III that might allow users to see and feel 3D objects that are displayed on a monitor. The display is very new in the development phase, but it connects your fingers to mini pistons that resemble a hand itself. By moving your hand around the object you are seeing, the pistons create sensations of weight, movement, and size. Right now, the project can only work with one hand, but future development is already planned and hopefully one day it will be integrated into many fields where the system could be useful. In the demo above the user is able to see the moving stone and feel the ridges on the sides as it moves.

There is a new billboard in the middle of Time Square in New York and it advertises the clothing store Forever 21. However, what makes this billboard news worthy is that it uses augmented reality to get tourists to look at it. The main display features a live feed of the people in the street. Then several times a gigantic 50 foot woman comes by to interact with the crowd by either taking a Polaroid, picking up people to put in her back or to toss them away to make the crowd look prettier. The main attraction of the screen though is the simple fact that people can see themselves and wave at themselves on the screen. Kind of like when you’re at a stadium and realize that you are being shown on the gigantic TV.

[via Gizmodo]

MBraun is a supplier of processing tools to leading display firms. Today, the company announced that they are looking to release OLED display panels that measure 42” diagonally. The new OLED displays are being made for major TV companies like LG Electronics and Samsung. MBraun is looking to have the displays ready by 2011 with the hopes of having new OLED displays released within the same year. MBraun sales manager for flat panel applications, Daniel Karecovsky, says, “The job of scaling up is one for our customers, which they are adapting to currently available equipment. These steps have already been taken, to produce screens up to 42″ in size.”

[via + Plastic Electronics]

Sony has been talking about their new 3D glasses for a while now. Today, the company announced that they are finally available through certified retailers. The glasses can be used by any of the new 3DTVs, which include the HX800, HX909, and the LX900 series. For the first two mentioned, customers will also need to purchase a separate 3D sync transmitter. In addition, the customers who already have the TV and glasses also have to purchase a 3D Blu-ray player and all the new HDMI 1.4 cables. The new 3D glasses retail for $149, which is slightly cheaper than the other 3D glasses available today.

[via 3D Display Info]

One of the latest HD monitors to come from Dell is the SX2210T. This screen measures 21.5” and can display a 1000:1 contrast ratio and full HD (1920 x 1080) resolution. Today, the writers from Flat Panels HD released their review. They highlight the fact that this is one of the first multi-touch HD monitors on the consumer market. However, the problem is that the computer requires at least Windows 7 in order to be used properly. While testing the touch screen the writers noticed that the stand and monitor are not entirely secured and that the monitor tends to teeter with each touch. The writers thought the out of the box display quality was not terribly good. The colors were not great and the black levels were too dark. Fortunately though, the picture was able to be adjusted to show a better display. The final statement the writers made was, “Dell SX2210T is an interesting monitor. It’s one of the first to take advantage of the multi-touch interface that lets you navigate in Windows 7 with the help of your fingers. Because it can register two simultaneous pressure spots you can use zoom, rotate, pan and other touch functions. It works well and the touch-screen is responsive, but not as responsive and accurate as the capacitive touch-system found on for example the Apple iPod/iPhone.”

[via Flat Panels HD]

The creators of the popular website Hulu have announced today the launch of their newest website, Hulu Plus. The original website allowed viewers to watch the latest TV show as well as several movies as well. The Plus site does the same thing, but comes with added features. Viewers who subscribe to Hulu Plus can watch entire series of a wide variety of shows, unlike before were only the latest 5 episodes were available. Viewers can also watch old TV shows that have been off the air for a long time. Basically the Hulu Plus is the live streaming feature of Netflix but with a wider TV selection. Also the new website can display most of the video content in HD. Samsung already has a downloadable app available for their customers and anyone with an internet connected Samsung HDTV can access Hulu Plus. Vizio and Sony also plan to have compatible HDTVs available sometime this fall. Hulu Plus is available now for $10/month.

[via Gizmodo]

Loewe is proud to announce the latest in their high end individual TV lineup. The TVs don’t have names yet but they come in 32, 40, 46, and 55 inch screen sizes. Loewe designed these TVs to help provide a design-oriented home cinema system where each element helps complement the other. All the models in the lineup use LCD display technology, but feature LED backlighting. This ensures that screen has uniformed brightness and color accuracy. It also contributes to the TVs’ thin design. To help compliment the TVs, Loewe is also announcing a new Sound Projector that includes a 7.1 cinema sound. Retail prices for these new TVs are on a need to know basis but they probably aren’t cheap.

[via Loewe]

It looks like Monster will not be the only company with universal glasses. Today, XpanD unveiled their 3D glasses. The company claims that their X103 active shutter glasses not only work with any 3D projector, but also any 3DTV. XpanD claim that these glasses will eliminate the eye strain and headaches that people suffer with 3D viewing. They also say that the glasses come with rechargeable batteries that can run for 200 hours between charges. Also the design allows for more light to get through the glasses, which means that viewing will not look like you’re wearing a pair of shades. XpanD plans to release the X103 glasses sometime over the summer for about $129, but an exact date has not been set. They will also be available in a wide array of colors.

[via Projector Point]

If you want the best HDTV available there are some things that you need to know before you begin your search. Today the writers from Gizmodo released their collection of tips to help you find the TV you want. In total there are 23 tips and while there are too many to list here, the writers have broken the list up into four main categories. First is The Basics, which includes tips like do your research, and realize that most statistics are inflated to impress the customers. The next category is Once You’re in the Store. This set of tips helps you from getting distracted by the advertising techniques in the store. They also want you to keep in mind that the TVs on display are designed to look good in the store and not necessarily in your home. Third is the What You can do category, which includes tips like using still photos instead of video to judge the image quality and bringing a USB stick to provide your own photos. Last is the category What to Look For. This provides some good things to check that most people wouldn’t normally think of like screen reflection, black levels, and viewing angles. To read the whole list, click the link below.

[via Gizmodo]

Sharp announced today the release of their latest HDTV series, the LE320. This series is filled with moderately sized TVs that range from 22” to 42”. Five TVs are in total with three available soon and two more coming later. They all feature the latest in LED edgelight technology, which ensures the thinnest frame possible. The connection panel will include the basic antenna, composite, component, DVI, and VGA connections as well as an HDMI, and a USB port to connect a memory stick. Unfortunately, Sharp did not release retail prices or exact release dates at this time.

[via Flat Panels HD]